Our team story

Head and Neck cancer is the 6th most common cancer globally 650,000 people are diagnosed annually, and 12000 people in the UK face a diagnosis with Head & Neck Cancer every month. One in three will lose their lives. Thyroid cancer it is relatively rare but its incidence increasing with over 3500 cases diagnosed every year. Currently it is the second more common cancer in women after breast cancer.

The Head, Neck and Thyroid Unit at Guys and St Thomas Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Cancer Centre diagnose and treat over 600 cases of head, neck and thyroid cancer a year. This has made the Unit one of the largest in the UK, Europe and worldwide.

The number of people diagnosed with Head & Neck Cancer is increasing and patients are being diagnosed at a younger age and despite its name, Head & Neck Cancer affects 15 different sites in the head and neck region including the thyroid gland, making it complex to diagnose and very challenging to treat.

Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment over the years, a significant proportion of people still lose their lives, often due to the cancer returning. And for those who survive, the mental and physical side effects can be life changing. Eating, speaking and breathing problems are common and long term medication and follow up necessary, meaning people need tailored and involved rehabilitation and support care. We need to do more.

What we are doing

Thanks to recent developments in research and technology, we are now at a tipping point promising avenues that harness the power of new technologies are within our grasp. But we need more funding to fully capitalise on this.

We need more funding to help improve the curability, life expectancy and quality of life of people with Head, Neck and Thyroid Cancer locally, in the UK across the world. and that is why my team and I are raising money to fund this incredible work at Guy's Cancer.

Our challenge over the next 10 months is for any member of the head, neck and thyroid teams, family and friends, to get involved in some form of challenge every month. This will also be complemented by organising and participating in charity fundraising activities such as, challenging runs, triathlons, duathlons, swims, bake offs and football matches are just a few of our many plans that have already been organised.

We are hoping to raise funds to vastly improve our head, neck and thyroid diagnostic centre facilities, data collection and analysis, genomics profile, new therapies, research and survivorship programmes. Your help will be invaluable in achieving this.

Thank you very much for your support, from the 10/10 team.