Oraclehncuk

25/09/2026

Today we are at The Milner Hotel, York, for The Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK Oncology Meeting 2026!

Clinicians and specialists from across the UK have come together for a full day of expert sessions, all focused on improving care and outcomes for people affected by head and neck cancer.

From the latest guidelines on late effects, to developments in cancer treatment and palliative care, today's programme reflects just how much dedication and expertise goes into supporting patients across the country.

A huge thank you to everyone attending, to Dr Robin Prestwich and the Steering Committee for organising the day, and to BAHNO and our industry partners for making this meeting possible, completely free for every attendee.

We'll share highlights from the day soon!

22/09/2026

Sign up to join our next webinar: Immunotherapy Treatments for Head and Neck Cancer

🗓️ Tuesday 6 October 2026
🕕 18:00 - 19:00

In our next webinar, we'll be welcoming Professor Kevin Harrington to speak. He's a Professor at The Institute of Cancer Research, and also works as a doctor at the Royal Marsden and St George's Hospital.

His talk will explore the newest treatments in immunotherapy for head and neck cancer, treatments that work with your body's own immune system to help fight cancer.

Whether you're a patient, carer, or just want to learn more, this is a great chance to hear directly from a leading expert in the field.

👉 Register now: https://oracleheadneckcanceruk.beaconforms.com/form/8ed08b99 (link also in our Insta bio)

21/09/2026

Head and Neck Cancer patients deserve the right care at the right time regardless of where you live.

We know from speaking to you that far too many people are facing unacceptable delays, from waiting weeks for a GP or dentist to spot the signs (if you can even get an appointment), to sitting on an NHS waiting list while a tumour grows, to being sent from department to department after treatment ends, trying to find someone who understands what "late effects" really means. It's not the fault of the amazing oncologists and other professionals who are working tirelessly to support head and neck cancer patients, it's the system that needs to change. H&NC care needs to be joined up, and properly funded.

We've heard from patients who've waited months for surgery, and others who, years after finishing treatment, are still fighting to access something as basic as free dentistry or a prosthetic they desperately need to eat, speak, or simply feel like themselves again.

We know these aren't small inconveniences. Every delay, before treatment and long after it, has a real, lasting impact on a person's chances and their quality of life.

As Professor René Leemans, Chair of the Make Sense Campaign, puts it: "Right Care at the Right Time means looking across the whole head and neck cancer pathway. From awareness and earlier diagnosis to referral and specialist care, we all have a role to play in reducing avoidable delays and helping people with head and neck cancer access the care they need, when they need it."

We believe that care shouldn't depend on your postcode, not at diagnosis, not during treatment, and not in the months and years that follow, when so many patients are still quietly living with the late-effects nobody warned them about.

This Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, 21–26 September 2026, we're proud to stand alongside voices from across Europe, united by one shared ambition:

Helping more people get the right care, at the right time, wherever they live, and for as long as they need it.

18/09/2026

We always love seeing our brilliant fundraisers making the news, so we we thrilled to see Kai making the front cover of his local paper, and rightly so! Kai completed an incredible 82km run across Essex in memory of his beloved Nan Diane, smashing his fundraising target in the process.

Our fundraisers' efforts mean so much to us, but to their family and whole community. Seeing Kai's story reach so many people through local press is exactly the kind of awareness that helps us fight head and neck cancer together.

A huge thank you to Kai for his incredible grit and determination, to Millie for her brilliant support behind the scenes, and to Zoe and the whole family, including the "Oracle Angels" who supported on the day too. What a team! 💛

We're so proud to have you all as part of the Oracle family.

15/09/2026

13/09/2026

Good luck to all those running the for Oracle Head and Neck Cancer today. Your support means the world to us.

10/09/2026

You might have seen in the news today that a BBC investigation has found out that just 3 out of 121 NHS Trusts in England are currently meeting the target of starting cancer treatment within 62 days of referral. One patient featured in the piece waited 128 days for surgery; by the time his operation happened, his cancer had spread.

The research is shocking: for every four-week delay in starting cancer treatment, a patient's chance of survival falls by around 10%.

New analysis from Radiotherapy UK found that more than 3,000 extra patients would need to start treatment every month, a near 15% increase on current numbers, just to meet the government's March 2027 target. And that gap is only expected to grow, as referrals continue rising across almost every cancer type.

While this particular story focuses on lung cancer, the same pressures, workforce shortages, equipment breakdowns, and rising patient numbers affect head and neck cancer patients too. We know from our own community how devastating delays and cancelled appointments can be, both for outcomes and for patients' mental health while they wait.

Julie Child, CEO of Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK, said:
"This investigation lays bare what patients have been telling us for years: when the system is stretched this thin, delay becomes the default, and it's costing lives. Head and neck cancer patients face exactly the same pressures highlighted in this report, and we will keep pushing for the funding, workforce and diagnostic capacity the NHS needs to treat cancer patients on time, whatever type of cancer they have."

Read the full investigation here:

Cancer care has got worse since the government announced plans to speed up waiting times and save more lives, BBC analysis shows.

07/09/2026

🎗️ Today is World Radiotherapy Awareness Day

This year's theme is "One Voice for Radiotherapy" and today, we're adding ours.

Radiotherapy plays a vital role in treating head and neck cancers, often forming a central part of treatment alongside surgery and chemotherapy. For many of our community, it's also a treatment that comes with real, lasting effects, on speech, swallowing, taste, and daily life, long after treatment ends.

Today, we want to recognise:

💛 Everyone who has been through radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, and everything that came with it
💛 The incredible radiographers, radiotherapy teams and specialists who deliver this care every day
💛 Everyone still living with the lasting effects of treatment, months or years on

Radiotherapy saves lives, but it's not without cost, and today is about recognising both sides of that story.

If you've been through radiotherapy, or supported someone who has, we see you today. 🎗️

01/09/2026

📅 A reminder - our webinar is coming up!

Understanding Head & Neck Cancer Late Effects
🗓️ Thursday 10 September 2026
🕕 18:00 – 19:00

Join Macmillan Consultant Radiographers Sabina Khan and Emma Hallam, both specialists in head and neck post-treatment late effects, alongside patient Karen Liesching-Schroder, who will share her own experience of diagnosis, treatment and life afterwards.

If you haven't registered yet, there's still time.

👉 www.bit.ly/LateEffectsWebinar