“Coronavirus has inspired us to get creative with the 15th Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walk, which is the only walk for mouth cancer anywhere in the world. This is the walk for the dental profession and we’re hoping many dental practices up and down the country sign up to take part and make this the largest walk to date”.
Dentist and Mouth Cancer Foundation President, Dr Philip Lewis
As the Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walk is forced to take place in a different format this year, walkers are invited to complete the event from the convenience of their own front door.
Participants can walk a total of 10 K, as many times as they like, on their own or with family, friends, colleagues and pets, around their own home, garden or local area! The walk from one of the UK’s leading mouth cancer charities, the Mouth Cancer Foundation, encourages as many people as possible to take part in this FREE 10 KM event between Saturday 3rd October and Monday 30th November 2020. This year we are holding the walk throughout Mouth Cancer Action Month to raise as much awareness as possible.
So far, dental practices are walking in small groups, individuals have set themselves the challenge of 10 K a day for the duration of the walk and the Jones family from Shropshire aim to use the time to walk a combined distance of 334 miles. The return distance from their home in Bayston Hill to Hyde Park in London where the walk is usually held. Kevin Jones, is leading the family ‘Walk For Clare’ event in memory of his sister Clare Jones who sadly passed away from tongue cancer in 2007 at the age of just 23 years old.
It is a fantastic opportunity to open up the 10 KM walk to more people than ever before. The Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walk is designed to increase awareness of mouth and all head and neck cancers. It is also an opportunity to celebrate survivorship and raise funds to continue to support patients, carers and survivors coping with mouth cancer.
To take part simply create a route, around your local area, with a total distance of 10 KM. This could be any combination such as 1 x 10 KM, 2 x 5 KM, 10 x 1 KM. The route can be done in one go, (10 KM is approximately 12500 steps and takes about one and a half to two hours to complete), or over several days. Ideally this is a walk, but if you wish to run, walk backwards, hop, skip etc that is fine. The choice is yours! Just send us your photos and tag us in on social media.
For more information and to register visit www.mouthcancerwalk.org/register.
For general press enquiries, please contact:
Elizabeth Ayto Laverack
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Mouth Cancer Foundation – www.mouthcancerfoundation.org
The Mouth Cancer Foundation is a registered charity no. 1109298.
The Mouth Cancer Foundation is a charity dedicated to raising awareness and support for those suffering from or at risk of mouth cancer, throat cancer and other head and neck cancers, as well as providing assistance and information on living with mouth cancer for families, friends and carers. The promotion, protection and education of good health is key to raising awareness of mouth cancer. The charity aims to inform the public about the signs, symptoms, facts and figures and key causes of mouth cancer. Know what increases your risk of getting the disease including information on HPV, alcohol and smoking.
About Mouth Cancer
Mouth Cancer is the general term given to the variety of malignant tumours that develop in the mouth, (oral cavity). The Mouth Cancer Foundation promotes awareness of all head and neck cancers i.e. throat, (pharynx), voice box (larynx), salivary glands, nose, paranasal, sinuses, lips and skin.
- 1 person every 3 hours is lost to mouth cancer.
- Over 8300 new cases in the UK each year.
- Each year over 2700 lives are lost to mouth cancer.
- Worldwide mouth cancer affects 6500,000 per year.
- Mouth cancer is twice as common in men as women.
- 75% of cases occur in the over 55 age group.
Detected early there is an excellent chance of complete cure!
Oral cancers are often painless so in addition it is important to be aware of the general signs and symptoms of mouth cancer which include:
- An ulcer or white or red patch anywhere in the mouth that does not heal within 3 weeks.
- A lump or swelling anywhere in the mouth, jaw or neck that persists for more than 3 weeks.
- Difficulty in swallowing, chewing or moving the jaw or tongue.
- Numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth.
- A feeling that something is caught in the throat.
- A chronic sore throat or hoarseness that persists more than 6 weeks.
- Unexplained loosening of teeth with no dental cause.
Risk Factors include:
- Tobacco use is considered the main cause of mouth cancer.
- Drinking alcohol regularly, especially spirits, increases the risk four-fold.
- Drinkers and smokers are 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer.
- Poor diet and social deprivation is linked to a third of all cancer cases.
- The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), transmitted through oral sex, could overtake tobacco and alcohol as the main risk factor within the next decade. It is already accounting for many new cases in women and the young who traditionally were unlikely to get the disease.
- Exposure to the sun is a cause of skin cancer which can affect the lips and face.
More information about Mouth Cancer is available at the Mouth Cancer Foundation web site www.mouthcancerfoundation.org or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
