Oral Cancer Patients Could Be Diagnosed Earlier, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (Dec. 12, 2008) — Worldwide, more than 500,000 new cases of cancer of the mouth are diagnosed each year. The majority of these cancers are found too late, causing many people to die within five years of finding out they have cancer. There exists much information addressing issues related to the patient who has undergone surgery or chemotherapy but little information related to early diagnosis and referral.

A new article in the Journal of Prosthodontics describes the epidemiology of oral cancer and the diagnostic tools currently available to prosthodontists to ensure that their patients are diagnosed at the earliest possible time.

Read the rest of the article here.

Velscope Images

Representative examples of direct visualization under both white light and VELscope examination – photos courtesy of the British Columbia Oral Cancer Prevention Program.
No apparent lesion	Normal fluorescence pattern
Visible leukoplakia	Irregular, dark area visible under fluorescence visualization. Biopsy-confirmed severe dysplasia
No apparent lesion	Irregular, dark area visible under fluorescence visualization. Biopsy-confirmed Carcinoma in Situ (CIS)

Oral Cancer and the Velscope Difference

Some facts about oral cancer:
Every hour 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 5-year survival rate is only 50%, totaling 8,000 deaths annually.

Oral Cancer risk factors include tobacco use (both smoked and chewed), frequent and/or excessive alcohol consumption, a compromised immune system, past history of cancer, and the presence of the HPV virus. 25% of all newly diagnosed cases have been in patients under the age of forty with none of the known risk factors. Oral Cancer is one of the few cancers whose survival rate has not improved in the past 50 years. 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).

With the non-invasive Velscope technology, at Luth & Heideman we are able to properly screen our patients to determine if there is a need to investigate any concerns further. According to the Velscope website, “When it comes to oral cancer and saving lives, these are the primary responsibilities of the dental community. The most important step in reducing the death rate from oral cancer is early discovery. No group has a better opportunity to have an impact than members of the dental community.”

Contact us today to schedule a free Velscope consultation and to learn more about how we can better serve your dental needs.

VELscope Las Vegas

The VELscope® System is a revolutionary hand-held device that provides dentists, hygienists, and other oral health care professionals with an easy-to-use adjunctive mucosal examination system for the early detection of abnormal tissue. At Luth & Heideman, we see this as a major advance in the early detection of oral leisions.

ORAL CANCER KILLS ONE PERSON EVERY HOUR, 24 HOURS A DAYIN NORTH AMERICA
•The incidence of oral cancer increased 11% in the United States in 2007
•Unlike several other cancers, the survival rate for oral cancer has remained unchanged for decades
•The overall 5-year survival rate for oral cancer is 52%, but when discovered early, it increases to 80% – 90%
•Unfortunately, only 35% of oral cancer cases are diagnosed in the early stages. Why? Because there have been few advances made in
screening techniques and there are significant limitations inherent to white light and chemiluminescence light examination of the oral mucosa
•Pre-malignant changes actually start below the surface, at the basement membrane. These changes may not be apparent to the naked eye
until the disease progresses to the surface

Ask about VELscope on your next visit, and we’d be happy to give you an overview of how it works and who can benefit most from the technology.