blue wednesday

Blue Wednesday 2022

Contents of blog

Blue Wednesday 2022

Today (Wednesday 16th November 2022) is Blue Wednesday, an annual awareness day which aims to raise awareness of mouth cancer, educate people on the early warning signs and encourage people to regularly check for the symptoms.

I’m sure we all know about blue Monday, supposedly being the saddest day of the year.  But for many mouth cancer patients, their cancer blues will almost never leave them. There will always be a reminder of what they went through every day. Whether it’s their speech, their ability to eat and drink, or even just the ability to breathe properly, there is no getting away from it.

The “State of Mouth Cancer UK Report 2022” provides some sobering statistics that demonstrate how prevalent Mouth Cancer is.

  • New cases of mouth cancer in the UK reached 8,846 last year. This has increased by 34% in the last decade and by 103% compared with 20 years’ ago.
  • An estimated 3,034 people lost their life to mouth cancer in the UK last year. That’s seven people each day.
  • In the UK, almost one person every hour is diagnosed with mouth cancer. Mouth cancer accounts for around 2% of all cancers.
  • Mouth cancer is the 14th most comman cancer in the UK. For men, mouth cancer is now the 9th most common cancer.
  • The lifetime risk of mouth cancer currently stands at 1-in-55 for men and 1-in-108 women.
  • Statistics suggest that men are more likely to have mouth cancer than women. Almost two-thirds (68%) of all mouth cancer patients are male.
  • Mouth cancer is also strongly related to age. More than three-in-four (80%) of new cases are in those over the age of 55.
  • Spotting mouth cancer early is crucial for beating the disease. Early detection boosts our chances of survival from 50% to 90%.

The main causes and risk factors include:

  • Smoking
  • Excessive alcohol consumption
  • HPV
  • Age and gender

For more information on Mouth Cancer and resources for Blue Wednesday, please visit the official Dental Health website.

Register your place at our Annual Health and Safety Conference - SPEAKER LINEUP ANNOUNCED

A day of inspiration, learning and innovation for safety professionals. Let’s redefine safety excellence together.

A mobile phone displaying an illustration of the sign up process for Riskex's Health and Safety eNewsletter.

Want topical Health and Safety updates straight to your inbox?

Stay informed with the latest health and safety updates

Subscribe to our Health & Safety eNewsletter

* indicates required

Other blogs you might like

a Family on their bikes in the park all with happy smiling faces.
Stay Safe this May Bank Holiday: Essential Tips for a Fun and Incident-Free Weekend
the sunny blue sky with scattered clouds.
Hot Weather Alert: Do you Know How to Spot the Symptoms of Heat Stress in your Workforce?
ISO27001
Riskex Enhances Information Security with Successful Transition to ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and New Certification Partner
office (1)
10 Office Hazards you Might be Missing
A mobile phone displaying an illustration of the sign up process for Riskex's Health and Safety eNewsletter.

Want topical Health and Safety updates straight to your inbox?

Subscribe to our Health & Safety eNewsletter

* indicates required
Skip to content