It's World Head and Neck Cancer Day!

Today is World Head and Neck Cancer Day marking the culmination of what has been a very busy Head and Neck Cancer Awareness month this July!   

WHNCD is an opportunity to raise awareness about this complex group of cancers and the impact they have on our community. Thank you to everyone who has joined us during July to help raise awareness of Head and Neck Cancer by organizing a WHNCD stand, hosting a Soup for the Soul event, joining our Dry July team or choosing an activity to do your way!  

Head and Neck Cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide with 890,000 new cases and 450,000 deaths per year. In 2023, 5,300 Australians were newly diagnosed with Head and Neck Cancer, and sadly, 1,200 lost their lives to this disease. And there are more than 17,000 people living with the side effects of Head and Neck Cancer treatment diagnosed in just the past five years.  

Since we launched in 2016, Head and Neck Cancer Australia has made significant strides in raising awareness and supporting people affected by Head and Neck Cancer by providing trusted information, support and advocating on behalf of our community.  

Today we are delighted to announce that we will be launching Australia's first specialist Head and Neck Cancer Helpline in early 2025 thanks to funding from the Federal Government as part of the Australian Cancer Nurses and Navigation Program and supported by community donations received as part of our HNC Helpline Giving Appeal in December last year.   

The HNC Helpline will provide free and confidential specialist Head and Neck Cancer information and support to patients, families and caregivers affected by Head and Neck Cancer and the healthcare professionals who care for them. Stay tuned over the coming months for more information about how you can be involved in providing valuable input to help with the planning of the HNC Helpline. 

We are also proud to have received a Cancer Australia Supporting People with Cancer Grant to help expand the reach of our resources in Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, and Tasmania. This initiative, supported by the Australia and New Zealand Head & Neck Cancer Society, will help better equip healthcare professionals and peer support groups to support people affected by Head and Neck Cancer across Australia. 

These funding opportunities would not have been possible without the support and dedication of our community over the past few years, joining us in meetings with Members of Parliament and the Federal Government, sending letters to local MPs and supporting our fundraising activities which enable us to raise the voices and advocate for everyone across Australia affected by Head and Neck Cancer.  

Thank you for your support, you are and always will be our inspiration!