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Photo: ETZ photography and film
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Persistent hoarseness, neck swelling and sore throat. A selection of symptoms associated with head and neck cancer. The ETZ will pay attention to this disease during the European Week for Head and Neck Cancer (19-23 September). Head and neck cancer is in the top ten most common cancers. However, the disease is still relatively unknown.
Head and neck cancer is a severe form of cancer. Patients have a difficult trajectory. Depending on the type of cancer, they receive a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. It is also intense because they are small tumors with major consequences. Think about problems with speaking, swallowing, lack of taste and smell, and sex. These are cancers in the head and neck area, such as lip cancer, pharyngeal cancer, and lymph node cancer in the neck.
More awareness of head and neck cancer
The number of head and neck cancer patients is on the rise. The disease is the sixth most common cancer in Europe. More and more patients are added. However, the disease is still unknown. This ensures that the diagnosis is made late in 60% of patients. These patients are already very ill. If head and neck cancer is detected early, the chance of survival is 80-90%. It is therefore very important to raise awareness of head and neck cancer.
A sensible campaign
The Make Sense campaign is an initiative of the European Head and Neck Society (EHNS). This campaign wants people to be more aware of head and neck cancer, to recognize the symptoms of this cancer faster and then see a doctor first. Only in this way do patients have a better chance of surviving with a better quality of life.
Symptoms
When is it important to go to the doctor? The main complaints, especially if you have been suffering from it for more than three weeks, are unhealed sores in the mouth / throat / lip, neck swelling, hoarseness, vomiting of blood, pain when swallowing and unexplained sore throat and earache.
Treatment center
The ETZ is a regional treatment center for patients with head and neck cancer. For this treatment, the hospital collaborates with the Verbeeten Institute and Erasmus MC. Each year 150 new patients with head and neck cancer are treated in the ETZ.
According to the Top Clinical Hospitals Foundation (STZ) Care Registry, ETZ offers the best clinical care for patients with tumors in the head and neck area. This makes the hospital the first senior clinical hospital in the Netherlands to be recognized for the treatment of this form of cancer. Head and neck cancer patients from across the region are treated in the ETZ. To this end, the hospital works closely with Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and the Verbeeten Institute, where patients are irradiated.
Watch out for head and neck cancer
This week we pay attention to Head and Neck Cancer Week on social media. Read more about www.makesensecampaign.eu.
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