Every hour of every day in America someone dies of oral cancer. Oral cancer is the sixth most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in the United States. Presently 30,000 patients are diagnosed annually with oral cancer. The five-year survival rate is only 50 percent, accounting for 8,000 deaths each year.
Oral cancer risk factors include tobacco use, frequent and/or excessive alcohol consumption, a compromised immune system, past history of cancer and the presence of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which can be sexually transmitted. Recently, however, 25 percent of all newly diagnosed cases have been in patients under the age of 40 with none of the known risk factors.
Oral cancer strikes three times as many victims as cervical cancer. Oral cancer is one of the few cancers whose survival rate has not improved in the past 50 years. The cancers that have seen a major decline in the mortality rate have included colon, cervical, and prostate cancer and the primary reason is early detection and screening.
Oral cancer is typically discovered in late stages, when the five-year survival rate is only 22 percent. This is due primarily to the fact that during this time we have not changed the way we screen for this disease (a visual and manual examination of the oral cavity, head, and neck). This has created a dire need for an improved oral mucosal screening procedure that would make it possible for clinicians to accurately identify tissue changes at and below the surface before they become apparent under white light examination. If detected in the early stages, the five-year survival rate increases to 80 percent or higher.
The FDA and Health Canada recently cleared the VELscope® System for assisting dentists and hygienists in discovering cancerous or precancerous growths that may not be apparent to the naked eye. A screening with the VELscope® System adds only one or two minutes to a conventional examination, is completely free of any pain or discomfort and is affordably priced. Some insurance companies are providing benefits to assist in the cost of the screening.
For all these reasons, many oral health care professionals now believe that all individuals over the age of 18 should have at least an annual comprehensive oral examination, including the use of the VELscope®.
Please visit www.oralcancerfoundation.org , www.velscope.com , www.drdell.com or call 661-254-4000, with any questions or to schedule an exam.