Head and Neck Cancer is arguably the most morbid of diseases as it can destroy all of the human senses and kills more people worldwide than breast cancer does.
The Face Value Foundation has continued its South African Campaign during World Head and Neck Cancer Day on the 27th of July, in conjunction with Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, WITS Dental Hospital and Preston Royal Teaching Hospital in the UK, to enhance the lives of millions of South Africans through innovative programs to reduce the incidence and improve the management of Head and Neck Cancer, including support for those afflicted and touched by this illness.
A pioneer in the field anatomical pathology, Wits Professor Charles Isaacson (1929 – 2014), first showed the link between carcinogenic N-nitrosamines in traditional beer and a human tumour. This meant that there now was a possible correlation in some of our communities where there is increased cancer incidence possibly due to the change of the staple diet of South Africans from sorghum to maize (corn).
Professor Isaacson first noticed this increased incidence in 2005 and believed this was one of the causes of the now seen epidemic of squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus in our country in addition to the increased prevalence of the Human Papilloma Virus (or HPV) .
It also brought forward the danger of traditional beer and demonstrated the mechanism for the oncogenesis of oesophageal carcinoma, or in laymen’s terms, the dramatical annual frequency increase of Head and Neck Cancers in these communities.
Supporting the outcry against Head and Neck Cancers are the words of Dr. Torres-Holmes, an ENT, and member of the multidisciplinary head and neck surgical and rehabilitation team at Morningside Mediclinic who said;
“ Throat cancer, in particular oropharyngeal cancer, is such a concerning cancer now, because it is one of the few head and neck cancers with a rising incidence, unlike others which are decreasing due to the general decrease in smoking and improved knowledge worldwide.”
In 2012, data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that there were more deaths related to the grouping of Head and Neck Cancers than Breast Cancer, however due to a lack of knowledge and late presentation, lifesaving interventions are being lost.
The Face Value Foundation has started its drive to reduce these risks of this type of cancer, and ultimately reduce its burden on all our Health Care Networks in South Africa through population-based interventions.
These will start on Thursday the 27th of July 2017 at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, together with the Wits Dental Hospital, where Face Value Foundation will initiate its plan to assist citizens including our poor and medically disenfranchised through:
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- Increased awareness through multiple media platforms
- Remote Training Initiatives on Early Detection
- Early Detection Campaign’s
- Head and Neck Cancer Support Groups for Patients, Care Givers, Nursing Staff and Doctors
- Remote and Face to Face Palliative Care
For more information, click here.
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