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Early
detection can save lives. In April, 2005 one of our own
doctors, Dr. Wilck, had a biopsy of a sore on his tongue that was not
healing. It turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma.
Because it was detected in its earliest stage, Dr. Wilck's chances
of surviving this cancer are close to 100%. The poor
overall
survival rate for oral cancer patients listed below is due to the fact
that most are
detected in the later stages.
THE ONLY WAY TO IMPROVE SURVIVAL RATES IS
TO INCREASE THE RATE OF EARLY DETECTION.
At
KWH Dental, we have implemented a formal early oral cancer detection
program. The following steps are how the program works:
- Every
patient receives a comprehensive head and neck examination and clinical
oral cancer screening at their initial exam appointment and at all
checkup hygiene appointments.
- All patients are encouraged to have a *VELscope exam annually.
- If a suspicious lesion is
found, either visually or with the VELscope, an **Oral CDx brush biopsy
or a scalpel biopsy will be performed.
SIGNS OF ORAL CANCER
You should contact your physician or dentist immediately about any of the following symptoms:
- A sore or lesion in the mouth that doesn't heal in two weeks
- A lump or thickening in the cheek
- A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, tonsils or lining of the mouth
- A sore throat or a feeling that something is caught in the throat
- Difficulty chewing or swallowing
- Difficulty moving the jaw or tongue
- Numbness of the tongue or other areas of the mouth
- Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ORAL CANCER
- 75% of head or neck cancers begin in the mouth
- There are 30,000 new cases of oral cancer each year in the U.S.
- There are 8,000 deaths yearly (or roughly 1 per hour), which is more than the number of deaths from melanoma or cervical cancer
- People who smoke and drink have a 15 times greater risk of developing oral cancers than others
- 25% of these cancers are not related to alcohol and tobacco use
- Oral cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer
- The overall 5 year survival rate is only 50%
- The mortality rate has been unchanged for 50 years
For more information about Oral Cancer, please
click on the following links:
* The VELscope light utilizes a narrow band of safe, high-energy blue light and specialized filtering technology to help thoroughly evaluate the oral tissues. It can reveal potentially cancerous lesions that may not be evident under white light.
** Oral CDx brush biopsy is a simple, painless, chairside procedure to
determine if a tissue lesion warrants a scalpel biopsy and further
evaluation.
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