START Newsletter Autumn 2017 - Press

HEAD AND NECK CANCER IS MORE
COMMON THAN YOU THINK
WARNING
SIGNS, IF
CAUGHT
EARLY, MAY
BE THE
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
LIFE AND
DEATH
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Well over 1,000 people
in Ireland are diagnosed
each year with cancers of
the head and neck, with
almost three-quarters of
cases being attributed
to smoking and alcohol.
Yet this pernicious form
of cancer very often
goes under-reported, or
sufficient heed isn’t paid
to the warning signs that,
if caught early, may be
the difference between
life and death.
This is why July 27 th
marked the third World
Head & Neck Cancer
day, which took place
across 53 countries. The
2017 National Cancer
Strategy highlights the
importance of prevention,
detection and diagnosis,
and education and
awareness is key for
early recognition of the
disease.
According to James
Paul O’Neill, Prof of
Otolaryngology, Head
and Neck Surgery in
Beaumont Hospital,
Dublin and the Royal
College of Surgeons in
Ireland, there can be
many different types
of cancers within the
head and neck, each
with their own tissue
characteristics and
biological behaviour.
“Cancers may develop
in several areas of this
region, including the
mouth, throat, larynx
(voice box), glandular
tissue (thyroid), salivary
tissue (parotid gland),
lymphatic tissue, nose,
sinuses and skin. Patients
have a large variety of
symptoms and signs
according to the subsite
of the disease,” says
O’Neill.
He says surgery
incorporates many
different techniques
and skills, as the region
has essential functional
roles, such as talking,
breathing, smelling,
hearing, chewing and
swallowing.
“We are now in the age
of highly-specialised
technological innovations.
There is a drive towards
minimally invasive
surgery because we
can perform the same
surgery except with
reduced morbidity to
surrounding structures.
“Chemotherapy overall
offers little in head and
neck oncology, with an
overall survival difference
of approximately 6.5
per cent, but a hike in
morbidity of nearly 50
per cent.
“Overall, some head and
neck cancers have an
excellent prognosis, but
unfortunately two-thirds
of all our patients present
with advanced disease
at the time of diagnosis.
If these patients fail
our first line of therapy,
their prognosis is often
very challenging. Head
and neck cancers often
advance quickly and
given the anatomical
complexity of the region,
frequently impinge on
or directly invade the
patient’s airway,” says
O’Neill.
Following a diagnosis of
Laryngeal cancer in 2014,
Sligoman Donal Connor
had his larynx removed in
Beaumont Hospital, under
the care of Prof O’Neill
and plastic surgeon
Barry O’Sullivan. Despite
his diagnosis, Connor
had never smoked, and
remained fit and active
all his life.
“This was life-changing
surgery, but it gave me a
chance to have a life and
get rid of this tumour,
which was making me
hoarse and very unwell,”
says Connor. “I now have
a little prosthesis, or
speaking valve, in my
neck, which helps to
project my voice. I have
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