HEAD AND NECK CANCER RESEARCH TRUST
We develop improved approaches for the prevention and treatment of head and neck cancer.
BACKGROUND
Head and Neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, with an incidence of 600,000 cases per annum. As an umbrella term, it refers to cancers found at several locations, including the mouth (oral cancer), throat and voicebox as well as rarer cancers of the nose, sinuses, salivary glands and middle ear. Despite recent advances in the treatment and in the understanding of its biology, the 5-year survival rate of many patients with head and neck cancer on the whole has remained largely unchanged for the past three decades with relatively few advances since the 1990s.
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WHAT WE DO
We are focused on supporting two research themes which are critical to improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Human papillomavirus-associated Head and Neck Cancer Programme
The development of an early detection test similar to the one that was introduced for cervical cancer in the UK and support studies into understanding the biology of this disease in order to develop novel treatments.
Rare head and neck tumours, in particular cancers of the nose and the sinuses
Research focuses on supporting UK researchers aiming to get the largest collection of these rare tumours to understand what causes them and to develop novel treatments which help patients when there is no more hope for cure.
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Registered Charity Number: 1180082
Human papillomavirus-associated Head and Neck Cancer
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus and also the leading cause of cervical cancer which has been a major cause of death until screening programmes have been introduced and significantly reduced the rates over the last few decades in the UK. However, at the same time rates of HPV associated throat cancer, particularly in men, have significantly increased in the UK. Once a HPV infection occurs and persists for years, this infection then often causes this form of throat cancer. Male rates of this disease have now overtaken the rates of cervical cancer in the UK and, according to a recently published article in the The Lancet, the estimated treatment costs and wider societal costs for this cancer in the UK over the next 20 years have been estimated to exceed £2 billion and £18 billion, respectively (Lancet. 2019; 393(10186):2123). Despite all this, awareness of this now published fact is extremely low amongst the public in the UK. Of 1,200 respondents in a UK-wide, population-based survey (649 [54.1%] female), only 444 (37.0%; 95% CI 34.3–39.7) had ever heard of HPV. Of these, 309 (69.6%; 65.2–73.7) knew that HPV could be transmitted during sex, 172 (38.7%; 34.3–43.3) recognised HPV as a risk factor for oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer, and 283 (63.7%; 59.2–68.1) knew that a preventive vaccine existed. Women were almost twice as likely to be aware of HPV as were men (290 [44.7%] vs 154 [27.9%]; p<0.001) (Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2019; 19(2):131-132). We support a research programme for the development of an early detection test similar to the one that was introduced for cervical cancer in the UK and support studies into understanding the biology of this disease in order to develop novel treatments.
Rare head and neck tumours, in particular cancers of the nose and the sinuses
Tumours affecting the nose and sinuses can have one of the most devastating consequences for patients due to the defects and deformities to the face which result from the operations to remove these tumours. These cancers are often deadly especially when diagnosed at an advanced stage. Because these cancers are so rare, and research into these tumours has been traditionally limited, there has been only minimal progress made. Our research focuses on supporting UK researchers who aim to get the largest collection of these tumours together to understand what causes them and to develop novel treatments which help patients who currently have no more hope for cure.