A pan-European survey to gauge public awareness and understanding of head and neck cancer and associated risk factors

6073 Background: Head and neck cancer is the sixth most frequently occurring cancer worldwide yet there appears to be little awareness of this disease amongst the general public in Europe. As part of an ongoing program to fully understand the patient perspective, the ‘About Face’ survey was planned and conducted in collaboration with the European Head and Neck Society to gauge current awareness and understanding of head and neck cancer and its associated risk factors. Methods: A total of 7,520 Omnibus internet interviews were conducted in 7 European countries (FR, DE, IT, NL, SP, SW, UK) in September 2008. Results: Only 23% of respondents overall were aware of the term ‘head and neck cancer.’ While most symptoms of head and neck cancer were recognized; the majority were cited correctly by fewer than half of respondents; 60% believed that ‘head and neck cancer’ includes tumors of the brain. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed underestimated the incidence of head and neck cancer in Europe by at least a factor of 10. While the majority recognized the link between head and neck cancer and smoking or high alcohol intake, far fewer were aware of the role of excessive sun exposure or HPV infection in disease etiology. One in four respondents felt that the consequences of surgery would cause the most distress to a person diagnosed with the disease. Conclusions: There is a general lack of knowledge amongst the general public in Europe of the risk factors and symptoms of head and neck cancer. This is a significant issue that should be addressed as these data suggest that patients may be more likely to delay consulting a physician and therefore be diagnosed with this difficult-to-treat disease at a late stage. Further education of the public on head and neck cancer is warranted. [Table: see text]