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WQ.404/2024
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
BY DEPUTY M. TADIER OF ST. BRELADE
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 4th NOVEMBER 2024
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 11th NOVEMBER 2024
Question
"In relation to mouth cancers, will the Minister –
- provide statistics on the rates of mouth cancer, specifically relating to the tongue, mouth, lips, gums, salivary glands, tonsils, and pharynx, over the last 20 years; and
- detail what actions, if any, have been taken to educate the public on checking for and avoiding mouth cancer?"
Answer a)
Mouth Cancer Incidence Rates
Cancer incidence data is sent by the Public Health Directorate in Jersey to the NHS Digital cancer registry who prepare and analyse the data to produce statistics on cancer incidence rates for Jersey and Guernsey.
These cancer incidence rates are grouped into categories, i.e., breast, colorectal, lung, sometimes with several different cancers in each of these groups. The cancer registry has included mouth cancer in the "head and neck" category (alongside cancer of the nose, sinus, thyroid etc.), so Public Health can only provide cancer incidence statistics for head and neck cancers and not mouth cancers specifically. Cancer incidence data from the cancer registry is available from 2005-2018 and is grouped into 3-year intervals due to low numbers.
The age-standardised rate for head and neck cancer incidence between 2005-07 and 2016-18 has:
- ranged from 32-41 cases per 100,000 population
- seen no statistically significant change over time
Figure 1: Age standardised incidence rate of head and neck cancer 2005-2007 to 2016-2018
The cancer report shows that on average, there have been around 28 to 33 head and neck cancers diagnosed annually, some of which will be cancers of the mouth.
Mouth Cancer Mortality Rates
Similarly to cancer incidence, cancer mortality data is sent by Public Health to the NHS Digital cancer registry who prepare and analyse the data to produce statistics on cancer mortality rates
The age-standardised rate for head and neck cancer mortality between 2005-07 and 2016-18 has:
- ranged from 7-10 deaths per 100,000 population in each 3-year period
- seen no statistically significantly change over time
Figure 2: Age standardised mortality rate of head and neck cancer 2005-2007 to 2016-2018
The cancer report also provides counts of people who have died in each 3 year period as a result of head and neck cancers, these ranged from 20 to 32 in any three year period. This would equate to roughly 7 to 10 deaths per year from head and neck cancers.
The next iteration of the Channel Islands Cancer Report which provides data for 2018-2020 will be published in December 2024.
Mouth Cancer Deaths
As Public Health has access to statistically coded mortality data, it is possible to provide analysis on the deaths specifically due to mouth cancer.
Table 1 shows a breakdown of all deaths between 2007 and 2022 (all available data) with any ICD10 code assumed to encompass "mouth cancer" registered as the underlying cause of death, split out by type of cancer. Numbers <5 have not been disclosed for data protection purposes.
Table 1: Deaths from mouth cancers, 2007-2022
ICD10 |
| Deaths (2007- |
Code | Code Description | 2022) |
C00 | Malignant neoplasm of the lip | <5 |
C01 | Malignant neoplasm of base of tongue | <5 |
C02 | Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of tongue | 24 |
C03 | Malignant neoplasm of gum | <5 |
C04 | Malignant neoplasm of floor of mouth | 6 |
C05 | Malignant neoplasm of palate | <5 |
C06 | Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of mouth | <5 |
C07 | Malignant neoplasm of parotid gland | <5 |
C08 | Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified major salivary glands | <5 |
C09 | Malignant neoplasm of tonsil | 8 |
C10 | Malignant neoplasm of oropharynx | 26 |
C11 | Malignant neoplasm of nasopharynx | <5 |
C12 | Malignant neoplasm of piriform sinus | <5 |
C13 | Malignant neoplasm of hypopharynx | 6 |
| Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites in the lip, oral cavity |
|
C14 | and pharynx | 11 |
Total | 99 | |
The total number of mouth cancer deaths between 2007 and 2022 was 99, with an average of 6.2 deaths per year.
(b)
Research from the UK suggests that 35% of oral cancers are caused by alcohol consumption, and 17% of oral cancers are caused by smoking.
The Government of Jersey provides stop smoking support services and drug and alcohol support services to help people improve their health and reduce risk factors for a range of diseases, including lung cancer, liver disease and oral cancers.
The Government of Jersey also undertakes promotional campaigns to encourage people to stop smoking and to limit their alcohol intake.
Tobacco products sold in Jersey are required to display standard health warning pictures and photography that show the health impacts from smoking, this includes pictures of oral cancers.
The Health and Community Services department have recently launched a new internal mouth care policy and to date over 100 HCS members of staff have attended training.