Drop-in screening clinics to form part of mouth cancer detection event

DROP-in screening clinics for the public will be held in Lerwick next week as part of an event on mouth cancer.

Dr Abu-Eid and Dr Katie Hanna from the University of Aberdeen’s Institute of Dentistry will travel to Shetland to co-host the early detection of mouth cancer event at the Islesburgh Community Centre on Wednesday 24 April.

There will be public mouth cancer drop-in screening clinics from 10am to 12.30pm and from 2pm to 4.30pm, along with information and resources on mouth cancer for people to browse.

Dr Abu-Eid and Dr Hanna also plan to deliver a talk between 11am and noon about their work and about how the community can get involved. There is no need to book.

April is World Head and Neck Cancer month.

Following the success of the local Mouth Cancer Action Month campaign last November, NHS Shetland’s public dental service has been working with the Institute of Dentistry at the University of Aberdeen in support of a Cancer Research UK funded study into the early detection of mouth cancer.

Despite increased public awareness of the signs and symptoms of mouth cancer, the five-year survival rate has remained at approximately 50 per cent.

NHS Shetland said this is often linked to late diagnosis and associated poor treatment outcomes.

The Aberdeen University research team are working on identifying markers that would help to improve the early detection of mouth cancer.

Local staff from GP, dental and pharmacy services are also being invited to join in for a learning session aimed at equipping primary care professionals with the knowledge skills to identify early clinical markers for oral cancer and gain better awareness of the diagnostic advances being made.