November is Mouth Cancer Action Month and we’re running an innovative new project to speed up diagnosis of this form of the disease - using clinical photography.

Patients with suspected mouth cancer attend our Barking Community Diagnostic Centre to have photos taken by our Clinical Photography team, rather than waiting to see a consultant in person, which can take weeks.

Then, one of our head and neck consultants examines the image to make a diagnosis, with the patients getting a call back within a day or so to confirm whether they have cancer or not.

Since we started running the pilot in June, 95% of patients have been reassured they do not have cancer without facing an anxious wait to see a consultant.

Of the total patients included on this pilot, six have been diagnosed with mouth cancer, and have been expedited to get the care they need quickly.

Neil Shah (above), our consultant who is leading on the pilot, said:

Time is of the essence as mouth cancer can move fast. Scans for diagnosis can be complex and we carry out three different types to fully confirm. Therefore, the quicker patients are started on the diagnosis and treatment process, the better.

Mouth cancer can be seen by looking in the mouth, identifying lumps or legions which could be cancerous, whereas other forms of head and neck cancer, such as throat cancer, cannot be seen in the same way. We have a highly qualified medical photography team so we thought it would be a great way to try speeding up diagnosis with photographs.

It’s a totally different experience for patients. It saves a lot of people having to take time out to come to hospital, and it allows us to concentrate our resources on the most serious cases. The feedback from patients has been fantastic.

Once a patient is diagnosed with cancer, their next steps are arranged immediately, including blood tests, scans, biopsies, x-rays and an appointment with our head and neck surgeon Luke Williams (below).

Before launching the pilot, which runs until the end of the financial year, a month-long ‘proof-of-concept’ trial was held to ensure safety of all patients, with our head and neck consultants blind reporting on photos without a full medical history, and established an image was enough to make a correct diagnosis.

As part of Mouth Cancer Action Month, 13 November is known as ‘Blue Wednesday’, to encourage people to self-check their mouths to spot any early signs of mouth cancer.

People are encouraged to look out for ulcers or white or red patches anywhere in the mouth, or a lump or swelling in the mouth, jaw or neck, which do not heal within three weeks. Other symptoms include difficulty swallowing, a chronic sore throat which persists for more than six weeks, or a feeling that something is caught in the throat.

If you have any of these symptoms, or are concerned you could have mouth cancer, contact your GP or a dentist.