Head and neck cancer cases among Australian women have increased significantly over the past 30 years, affecting even those who have never smoked or consumed alcohol heavily.
Experts, like RMH Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Professor David Wiesenfeld, are stumped.
“Every week, women with mouth cancers come into the clinic looking for answers.” said Prof Wiesenfeld.
“It’s really tough to have to say, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know,’ because we don’t understand why this is happening.”
This alarming spike shows how important further research into the underlying causes is.
In response, David, along with the RMH head and neck staff members and female oral cancer patients, have joined forces to form the RMH Head and Neck's Dry July team.
“While the Royal Melbourne Hospital is Victoria's principal centre for treating oral cancers, we still need more data and research to guide our approach to these specific cancers,” Prof Wiesenfeld explained.
The funds raised will help specialists, like David, to understand the disease, allowing them to detect it earlier.
Sign up or donate to Dry July and support the RMH’s cancer patients and their loved ones.
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We urgently need to raise $2.5 million for a second CT scanner in our Emergency Department.
This is a vital piece of equipment that provides rapid and accurate diagnosis for trauma and stroke patients like Brianna.