Oral Cancer
What You Need to Know

According to the American Cancer Society over 37,000 North Americans will have developed oral cancer in 2009.

This number has been rising in recent years, while almost every other type of cancer is declining.

 Here are a few startling facts:

•One North American dies of oral cancer every hour of every day.
•Oral cancer attacks 3 times as many people as cervical cancer.
•A minimum of 25% of oral cancer victims do not fit the traditional profile of older male users of tobacco and alcohol, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation.
•In addition, an estimated 33% of oral cancer victims are female.
•Recent research (reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, May 10, 2007) has demonstrated a strong link between oral cancer and HPV-16 and HPV-18. (These are strains of the human papilloma virus.)
•HPV is mainly transmitted sexually.

Therefore, it would logically follow that anyone who is at all sexually active is at risk for developing oral cancer through exposure to HPV.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, two-thirds of the time that oral cancer is detected, it is in the late stages.

First, the bad news:
-When discovered in late stages, the 5-year survival rate is only 22%.

Now, the good news:
-When discovered in early stages, the survival rate leaps to 80% or higher.

Patients in our office are examined for oral cancer at their initial examination, as well as every time they come in for  bi-annual examinations.

Why do I mention this? In today’s difficult times, some people are trying to save money by cutting back on their personal health care. This is a dangerous trend and may even be a factor in the rise of oral cancer mortality seen generally. Because of the aggressive nature of oral cancer, I have recently invested in a new screening device (which we should have available in our office by January 2010) that will aid me with early cancer detection.  It is called a VelScope® (VPS) and  is a revolutionary device that uses light induced fluorescence technology as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for differentiating normal from abnormal human tissue.  It is already being used in various fields of medicine, including pulmonology, otolaryngology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, and gastroenterology.

The VPS handpiece emits a safe blue light into the oral cavity, which excites the tissue from the surface to the bottom layers. The clinician is then able to immediately view the different fluorescence responses to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue.  The device is completely non-invasive and is a  clinically proven adjunct to help discover hidden oral disease.

The procedure is comfortable for the patient, does not require any special dies or rinses, and has a lower cost per exam when compared to other non-invasive lesion detection devices.

All adults 18+ years should have an annual cancer exam.  Please watch this American Dental Association Video that explains why (you can click the enlarge button to view it in full screen mode):

by Dr. Richard J. Walicki - November 14, 2009

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Dr. Richard J. Walicki is a mercury-free Philadelphia dentist providing both general and cosmetic dentistry services.

Source: http://www.ToothWiz.com