As part of the Make Sense campaign, on September 20-24, 2021, the 19th European Week of Head and Neck Cancer Prevention will be held under the banner of Head and Neck Tumors: Stay Vigilant. Don’t ignore symptoms during the COVID-XNUMX pandemic.
Press material
The nationwide inauguration of the 20th European Week for the Prevention of Head and Neck Cancer will be held on September 2021, XNUMX at the Foksal Press Center in Warsaw in the presence of distinguished guests: Senator of the Republic of Poland Beata Małecka-Libera, Chairman of the Senate Health Committee, Grzegorz Wrona, MD, Chief Ombudsman for Professional Responsibility , prof. dr hab. n. med. Ewa Sierko, specialist in oncological radiotherapy, Dr. Paweł Różanowski, MD, specialist in clinical oncology, prof. dr hab. n. med. Romuald Krajewski, Coordinator of the Conference of Presidents of Medical Societies, prof. dr hab. Tomasz Zatoński, MD, Head of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the University Teaching Hospital in Wrocław, Dr. Paweł Dobrzyński, MD, Head of the Department of Otolaryngology at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration in Warsaw, dr hab. n. med. Wojciech Kukwa, Head of the Otolaryngology Department of the Czerniakowski Hospital in Warsaw, Dr. Jerzy Zawiślak, Head of the Laryngology Department in Zamość, Dr. Zbigniew Wroński, Vice-President of the National Council of Physiotherapists and Mrs. Ida Latkowska, representative of the Association of People with Cancer and representatives of the Head and Patient Associations . The meeting will be conducted by Ms Beata Tadla.
As part of the social campaign, once again free research and educational activities will be conducted in Polish hospitals and clinics to increase public awareness of head and neck cancers. 29 specialist centers from all over Poland joined this year’s preventive campaign, and free preventive examinations without a referral will be held in: Poznań, Zielona Góra, Wrocław, Warsaw, Radom, Siedlce, Łódź, Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Białystok, Zamość, Kielce, Katowice, Zabrze, Sosnowiec, Gdańsk.
Details on this subject can be found at www.oppngis.pl.
In Poland, the action is carried out by the Polish Head and Neck Cancer Society, an institution that brings together specialists from many fields of medicine who care for patients with head and neck cancers. The Society is a member of the EHNS and works closely with the International Federation of Head & Neck Oncologic Societies (IFHNOS). The campaign initiator in Poland is prof. dr hab. n. med. Wojciech Golusiński, Head of the Department and Clinic of Head, Neck Surgery and Laryngological Oncology WCO in Poznań, creator of the National Program for the Prevention of Head and Neck Cancer, President of the European Head and Neck Society.
The Make Sense campaign has been taking place in 21 European countries, Brazil, Korea and Australia for nine years now. As part of it, close cooperation was established with the European Parliament, oncology societies and patient organizations, numerous educational meetings for schools, patients and medical staff were organized, a thriving international media campaign was launched leading to the publication of over 1200 press articles during the last European Week of Prevention, numerous information materials were distributed To raise awareness about the disease, two pan-European public awareness surveys for head and neck cancer were carried out, and more than 70 screenings were carried out in Europe over three years.
This year, once again, free research and educational activities will be carried out in many hospitals and clinics throughout Poland, aimed at increasing awareness about the risks of head and neck cancer – especially in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying access for early diagnosis, which is crucial for successful cancer treatment.
During this year’s campaign, we will also learn the detailed results of a survey on emotional well-being after head and neck cancer treatment, conducted among over 200 patients in 12 countries (England, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Ireland, Israel, Poland, Portugal, Turkey and Italy.
“I cannot stay away from home for too long, because I get tired quickly,” writes a surveyed patient from Turkey, “so I spend less time with my family and friends.” “I have become a loner because of a distortion in my face and neck,” admits an English respondent. However, there are many positive voices: “After treatment, I returned to work in my own company – writes a patient from Poland – I continued my work until retirement.” “One pair of friends excluded me a bit,” says a respondent from England, “my other friends still treat me the same.”
In the survey, over 80% of respondents indicated that head and neck cancer had a negative impact on their well-being, and more than half that the COVID-19 pandemic limited access to emotional support after treatment. Half of the respondents reported an adverse effect of the disease on their well-being, especially in terms of speech (48%), appearance (43%), eating and drinking (41%), energy (40%) and taste and smell (39%). However, the respondents noticed positive aspects regarding the support in their disease: over 80% of patients did not notice the negative impact of the disease on their family relationships, more than two-thirds of patients indicated family and friends as a source of support during and after treatment, and more than half of patients described accompanying them in emotional support as excellent or very good during illness. The respondents indicated that the most sought after forms of emotional support are nursing specialists, emotional support groups among patients, and mental development and support clinics. The survey results will provide a better understanding of patients’ needs in this regard, so that the quality of care after treatment can be further improved. During the XNUMXth Week of Prevention, the premiere of the film The Path of the Patient with Head and Neck Cancer will also take place. A ten-minute animated film will answer the most common questions about the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancers.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic has significantly reduced the number of diagnoses of new cases of head and neck cancers. This is due to two factors: people’s fear of going to the doctor for fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the reorganization of the health service due to the pandemic, delaying the diagnostic process. This should be said loudly – cancer will not wait for the pandemic to end. You cannot delay the visit to the doctor when disturbing symptoms appear. Hence the motto of this year’s campaign, “Head and Neck Tumors: Stay Vigilant.” Do not ignore symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. ” – says prof. Dr hab. Wojciech Golusiński, MD, author of the National Program for the Prevention of Head and Neck Cancer. Especially people who have noticed disturbing symptoms should visit a specialist. If at least one of the following symptoms persists for more than three weeks, it is an indication for a medical visit (the so-called 1 through 3 schedule):
- sore tongue, non-healing sores in the mouth, and / or red or white patches in the mouth
- sore throat
- persistent hoarseness
- pain and / or difficulty swallowing
- a tumor in the neck
- unilateral obstruction of the nose and / or epistaxis
Preventive examinations ensure early detection and quick implementation of treatment, and thus – the possibility of recovery. The biggest advantage of the research carried out under the Program is the short waiting time for an appointment and no need to have a referral.
More information about the XNUMXth European Week of Head and Neck Cancer Prevention can be found at www.makesensecampaign.eu, www.oppngis.pl, www.glowaiszyja.pl/aktualnosci and on Facebook – Profilaktyka Nowotworów Głowy i Szyi at the Greater Poland Cancer Center; Head and neck