Published on 9 August 2024
A Runcorn cancer patient is backing an NHS awareness campaign which sees warning messages printed on Asda products.
Vital mouth and throat cancer information is now on packaging for toothpaste and mouth wash products in Asda stores across the region to encourage shoppers to be body aware and contact their GP or dental practice with any potential cancer symptoms.
Steve Overend, 66, from Runcorn, says it is really important for people to know the symptoms of mouth cancer so they can get treatment as quickly as possible.
Asda's own brand of oral hygiene products feature NHS advice in over 500 Asda stores across the country and online. The guidance – such as urging people who have an ulcer that lasts for three weeks or more to contact their GP practice – has a link to more detailed information about cancer on the NHS website.
Steve said: "I think what the NHS and Asda is doing is excellent. Anything that can be done to help someone recognise what they’ve got before it needs difficult treatment is worth it. My cancer was quite advanced, so my radiotherapy was tough, and I still can’t really eat much solid food, but the doctor told me that if I hadn’t had the treatment, I wouldn’t have survived another year."
It was the start of the pandemic in 2020 when Steve noticed that he was struggling to open his jaw. When he realised he also had some swelling, he decided it was time to get help.
Antibiotics proved unsuccessful, and after being sent for tests, he was told it was cancer. Now, after three rounds of chemotherapy and seven weeks of radiotherapy, he’s been cancer free for the last three years.
He said: “I aim to live life to the full now, and I have a bucket list I want to complete. Food can be a struggle sometimes, but I try to focus on what I can do rather than what I can’t, and I’ve even started a YouTube channel, The Rocking Soup Chef, with all my soup recipes to help others that might struggle with solid food.”
Jon Hayes, Managing Director of Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, said: “This is a great opportunity for the NHS to work with a national supermarket brand to put health messaging on oral hygiene products, with the aim of encouraging thousands more people to be aware of the signs of mouth cancer, so they can spot new or unexplained changes that might be cancer symptoms early, and contact their GP or dental practice for checks if concerned.
“I want to urge everyone to be aware of the signs, and if you're concerned about a symptom to get checked out early, it could save your life.”
Symptoms of mouth cancer include a white or red patch in the mouth that does not heal within three weeks, a lump or swelling in the mouth, jaw, or neck that lasts for more than three weeks, and difficulty swallowing, chewing, or moving the jaw or tongue.
Numbness in the tongue or other areas of the mouth, a sensation of something being stuck in the throat, a chronic sore throat or hoarseness that persists for more than six weeks, and unexplained loosening of teeth can also be possible signs of cancer. While most of these symptoms are common and can be caused by other conditions, getting checked as soon as possible is vital as early detection gives the best chance of successful treatment.
Figures from the Mouth Cancer Foundation show that it is the eighth most common type of cancer in the UK, with over 11,700 new cases diagnosed annually. The disease is twice as common in men as in women, and nearly eight in ten cases (78%) occur in individuals over the age of 55.