Saving Faces

15/07/2026

Saving Faces funded research breakthrough:
A new brush test detects oral cancer in just ONE HOUR and it's non-invasive.

Congratulations to Professor Muy-Teck Teh at Queen Mary University of London who has developed a groundbreaking non-invasive test that can detect oral cancer in just one hour. The results are published in the prestigious Nature journal https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40364-026-00963-7

The simple brush swab delivers results comparable to more invasive biopsy procedures with the potential to reduce unnecessary biopsies for more than 90% of low-risk patients.

Oral cancer is a growing global killer.
Over 10,000 people in the UK were diagnosed with oral cancer last year and 3637 people lost their lives.
More than half of all mouth cancers are diagnosed in stage IV when the cancer is at its most advanced.
Current diagnostic pathways often involve painful, invasive biopsies, even when no cancer is present.

This new test could be a game-changer enabling faster diagnosis, earlier intervention and better long-term monitoring of patients at risk.

Saving Faces funded the first micro-biopsy test that laid the groundwork for this breakthrough and the UK patient samples in this study came from Professor Iain Hutchison OBE.

When you support Saving Faces, you're directly funding groundbreaking research like this.

09/07/2026

Huge congratulations to our CEO Professor Iain Hutchison OBE, who was awarded the prestigious Sir Clement Price Thomas Medal at the The Royal College of Surgeons of England last week!

This incredible honour recognises his significant and outstanding contributions to the field of surgery.

The citation was proudly delivered by BAOMS' current President, Bhavin Visavadia.

Prof Hutchison, BAOMS Past President and Saving Faces CEO, was awarded the prestigious Sir Clement Price Thomas Medal at the Royal college of Surgeons of England, last week.
BAOMS current President, Bhavin Visavadia provided the citation
. A fitting tribute to a legend of .

17/06/2026

Huge congratulations to Professor Iain Hutchison who has been awarded an OBE in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours in recognition of his outstanding services to preventing and treating facial cancers.

Many of you will know him as a Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon based at St Bartholomew's and The Royal London Hospital but to those whose lives he has saved - he is a hero. He’s the surgeon other surgeons call when a case seems impossible and the last hope for patients with the most complex and challenging facial conditions. For decades, he has not only taken on these cases but trained the next generation of surgeons to do the same.

In 2000, he founded The Facial Surgery Research Foundation – Saving Faces and has spent the last 26 years as its unpaid CEO, raising over £10 million for clinical research. His landmark SEND trial is saving 30,000 lives every year after proving that removing neck glands during early mouth cancer surgery dramatically cuts death rates. That's one life every saved every 15 minutes. He’s not stopping there - Iain is now leading an ambitious 10-year follow-up of the SEND trial. By tracking patients over the long term, the study will reveal critical insights into survival rates, recurrence patterns and new tumour development that could open the door to even better treatments for future patients.

Beyond the operating theatre, he has revolutionised patient care by establishing the Saving Faces Expert Patient Line - a national service connecting over 300 former patients with those undergoing similar treatments. He also created the world's first Electronic Rapid Diagnostic Service which enables dentists to send photographs of oral lesions and receive expert guidance within 3 working days. This service has advised on over 1000 patients - expediting cancer referrals and reassuring those with benign lesions.

Professor Hutchison recognised that healing extends beyond the physical. He commissioned artist Mark Gilbert to paint patients before, during and after surgery which gave birth to the Saving Faces Art Exhibition. The paintings have toured the UK, Europe and the United States of America and has reached over two million people. The exhibition educates the public about facial surgery's possibilities and limitations and challenges stigma around facial disfigurement. The collection has been featured in The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, The New York Times, Der Spiegel and major media worldwide.

His greatest achievement is not measured in the millions of pounds raised, the thousands of patients treated or the awards won. It is measured in the young people who chose not to drink excessively after hearing his talks, the patients who found hope through connecting with the art project, the dentists who can rapidly diagnose their patients and the countless surgeons he has trained - who carry forward his philosophy that excellence in surgery must always be paired with treating every patient as a whole person and not just a case.

This honour is richly deserved.
Iain, we are so proud of you.

The Board of Trustees and Saving Faces Team

Support Iain:

If you’d like to support Iain and his charity Saving Faces you can donate online https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/sfprof or via bank transfer to:

Account Name: Saving Faces
Bank: Santander
Sort Code: 09-06-66
Account Number: 40769363

25/03/2026

Saving Faces - Charity of the Year!

We're honoured and incredibly grateful to Charles Stanley Wealth Managers for selecting Saving Faces as their Charity of the Year.

Every single penny will go directly towards work that is changing and saving lives.

Our groundbreaking clinical trial- SEND (Selective Elective Neck Dissection) revolutionised head and neck cancer treatment across the world, by proving that removing neck glands during early mouth cancer surgery significantly reduces death rates and tumour recurrence. We are now saving 30,000 additional lives every year globally - that's one life every 15 minutes.

But we're not stopping there.

We are now embarking on something that has never been done before - a 10-year follow-up of the SEND study. This extended monitoring will uncover critical insights into long-term survival rates, recurrence patterns and new tumour development.

The funds raised by the wonderful team at Charles Stanley will directly support this follow-up, giving surgeons the evidence they need to reduce the chances of the cancer returning and improve the quality of life for every patient facing this devastating diagnosis.

Thank you!

https://www.savingfaces.co.uk

07/01/2026

As we step into the New Year, we want to thank you for your incredible support and kind wishes. Your generosity is fuelling landmark research that transforms and saves faces and lives.

We are now working to establish a Professor in Clinical Trials in Oral Cancer – an international role dedicated to advancing evidence-based care, earlier diagnosis and better outcomes for future patients.

It was wonderful to see so many new and familiar faces at our Carol Concert – thank you for making it so special!

Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy, happy and successful 2026.

With love,
Professor Iain Hutchison, Sam, Hannah and the Trustees