Mouth Cancer Awareness Week

Date published: 07/11/2006

Residents in Rochdale Borough are being offered the chance to pick up tips on how to cut the risk of mouth cancer, thanks to a special hospital roadshow.

Emma Riley, oral health practitioner for Pennine Acute Trust, is holding the special event at Rochdale Infirmary as part of Mouth Cancer Awareness Week, which runs from 13 November to 17 November.

Members of staff will be on hand with information about mouth cancer, and what can be done to cut the risk of it.

Emma said: "Sadly, we’re seeing a rise in the number of cases of mouth cancer. It’s a familiar story really – sadly, we’re smoking too much, drinking too much and don’t have the diet which we should have. 

"The stalls will have information for, patients, visitors and other health professionals, so everyone is welcome. We’ll have information sheets to take away as well."

Emma added: "Many people simply don’t know the risks of mouth cancer, and we hope that this awareness week will help with that."

Mr Andrew Baldwin, consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon at North Manchester General Hospital added: "If we catch the cancer early enough, we can treat and potentially cure people without the need for disfiguring surgery. Every other patient we see with mouth cancer didn’t know that cancer could occur in the mouth, so they didn’t see their doctor at an early stage of their disease."

• The event takes place from 9am to 4pm on Thursday, 16 November.
  Rochdale Infirmary main entrance.