Head and neck cancer is the 6th most common type of cancer in Europe with more than 150,000 new patients diagnosed in 2012, and the incidence of the disease is on the rise. There is little awareness of head and neck cancer among the general public and the healthcare community in Europe, meaning many cases are identified in the late stages which drastically reduces the patient’s chance of survival. Despite major advances in the treatment of head and neck cancers over the past three decades, patient outcomes remain disappointingly unchanged. Therefore, action must be taken now to save lives.

 Make Sense Campaign Goal

The Make Sense campaign, run by the European Head and Neck Society’s (EHNS), aims to raise awareness of head and neck cancer amongst key stakeholders (MEPs, media, physicians and the general public) across Europe. Ultimately, its goal is to improve patient outcomes for patients. It will do this through driving understanding of the signs and symptoms of head and neck cancer with the intention of prompting earlier diagnosis and referral of patients. Consequently, the European Head and Neck Society (EHNS) are launching the first Pan European Head and Neck Cancer awareness week from September 23rd to September 27, as part of the Make Sense Campaign. As part of the awareness week the EHNS, along with the support of the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), are organizing a conference within the  European Parliament on Tuesday 24 September titled

‘Head and Neck Cancer: The ‘Curable’ Cancer That Kills Over Half of All Sufferers. Why not do something about it?’

  The event will be hosted by Daciana Sarbu (S&D MEP) and will focus on:

      -  Increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of head and neck cancers, so as to support earlier prevention, diagnosis and referral to improve patient outcomes;

- Providing European guidelines to support the dissemination of head and neck cancer disease best practices across the member states to ensure that citizens have the best access to treatment;

- Support a multidisciplinary approach for head and neck cancer treatment.

EHNS and ECPC are committed to the Make Sense Campaign and its goal of improving outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer. They will continue to invest in education and awareness activities targeted at their key stakeholders to ensure they meet their goal.