Doctors can now learn how to help tackle the growing problem of mouth cancer thanks to a new course delivered free by onmedica.net, the educational website for GPs.
Cancer Research UK’s “Open Up to Mouth Cancer” campaign was launched in November last year, and resulting feedback from GPs showed there was a need to encourage greater awareness of mouth cancer within primary care – as the disease is now more common in the UK than both cervical and testicular cancer put together.
The campaign focuses on detection and awareness of signs and symptoms. Known risk factors for the disease are smoking, alcohol and chewing tobacco or betel nut. Smoking and drinking are together estimated to cause more than 75% of mouth cancer cases in developed countries.
