DETECT ORAL CANCER TODAY
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You TOO can Take Control
Oral cancer has one of
the lowest 5 year survival rates
Oral cancer kills more people in the US than
cervical cancer, malignant melanoma, or Hodgkin’s disease.
Oral Cancer detected early has a remarkbly better probability of surviving
than for most other cancers.
Oral Cancers Sickness and death may be reduced dramatically with appropriate interventions.
(We've listed a number of research links at the end of this page)
Health care professionals need to provide competent examinations offering to screen
all patients as a measure of prevention and early detection of
Oral cancer
Why do they think I should read this?
1) Why does one American p/hour die from Oral Cancer, a death rate that has remained unchanged for more than 40 years? 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer annually.
- Oral Cancers usually involve the tongue, lips, floor of the mouth, soft palate, tonsils, salivary glands, or back of the throat.
- The oral cavity is easily accessible and the initial exam Oral Cancer poses relatively little discomfort or embarrassment for the patient. It is quick, and relatively inexpensive.
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2) Who needs to be made aware? Everyone.
3) What are the signs and symptoms of Oral Cancer?
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Early
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Late
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Persistent red and/or white patch
Non-healing ulcer
Progressive swelling or enlargement
Unusual surface changes
Sudden tooth mobility without apparent
cause
Unusual bleeding on the mouth or nose
Prolonged hoarseness on the throat
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Hardened area
Prickling sensation; light touch can cause pain in the tongue or lips
Airway obstruction
Chronic earache
Muscle spasm on jaw area; difficulty speaking
Persistent neck pain; persistent radiating pain
Altered vision
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When Have I become a “High Risk Case”?
LIFESTYLE RISKS
A variety of educational campaigns have been mounted to urge people not to start using or, if they have already started, to stop using tobacco products. Unfortunately many campaigns don't identify tobacco products as risk factors for Oral Cancer.
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School-based intervention programs frequently begin in primary grades, focusing on urging children to remain smoke-free and to resist peer pressure.
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Similarly, efforts focusing on alcohol use as a risk factor for cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer and fetal alcohol syndrome rarely identify alcohol as a risk factor for oral cancers.
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There has been an increase in self-protection from sun exposure and the public is being urged to obtain skin cancer examinations on a routine basis.
AGE & GENDER RISKS
HEALTH FACTORS
More than 25% of oral cancer victims have no lifestyle risk factors!
How bad can it be?
Premature death has been reported worldwide
The mental anguish of patients family and friends.
Social disfiguring impairment Loss of function - Irreparable damage
INTRA ORAL EXAMINATION
We recommend all adult patients, and those sexually active as early as age 16, to receive an annual oral screening exam as a mean to detect disease early in assymptomatic people.
BASIC & AIDED SCREENING
Until recently, dental professionals lacked the screening technology to detect abnormalities that lead to oral cancer.
Screening for oral cancer should include a thorough history and physical examination.
Examination:
- The clinician should visually inspect and palpate the head, neck oral and throat regions.
- It is necessary to push the tongue aside to fully visualize the back and side of the tongue and the tongue base.
- The procedure also involves touching the neck node areas with the fingers, pushing with both hands the floor of mouth and tongue, and inspecting using touch and looking at the soft parts of the mouth and throat under adequate light.
- The clinician should review the social, familial and medical history, and document risk behaviors.
- ViziLite® is a simple, painless, non-invasive technology that improves the examiner’s ability to visualize and evaluate lesions
- ViziLite® uses a special type of light that enhances the examiners’ ability to visualize abnormal tissue that might otherwise be difficult or impossible to be seen by unaided vision under regular light.
- ViziLite® was cleared by FDA for adjunctive screening for oral mucosal abnormalities in a patient population at increased risk for oral cancer.
- The kits are made for a single use, eliminating the risk of cross-contamination.
EARLY DETECTION PROCESS
STEP ONE
Clinical Presentation: An examination performed with the aid of ViziLite will cause abnormal cells (altered nuclear/cytoplasmic ratios) or lesions with abnormal keratin production to reflect back a bright white spot, similar to the way we see a white T-shirt glowing under a dark (ultra-violet) light.
STEP TWO
Toluidine blue: Once trauma as the cause of the abnormality has been ruled out, the clinician should mark the lesion with a blue dye system.
- This substance will adhere to the abnormal tissues, allowing for further observation under incandescent lighting, allowing study pictures to be taken for further referral of the patient to a specialist for further evaluation.
DIAGNOSIS
Currently, the most effective way to control Oral Cancer is to combine early diagnosis with timely and appropriate treatment.
LAST WORDS: Because more than 90% of all oral cancers are “squamous cell carcinomas”, the vast majority will be diagnosed from lesions on the mucosal surfaces.
Approx. 90% of patients with “squamous cell carcinoma” in neck area lymph node will have an identifiable primary tumor elsewhere, and only 10% will have cancer in the neck lymph note as an isolated finding. A definite diagnosis requires a biopsy of the tissue.
The clinician’s challenge is to differentiate cancerous lesions from a multitude of other red, white, or ulcerated lesions that also occur in the oral cavity.
Diagnostic imaging (CT or MRI) is also used to assess the extent of local and regional tumor spread and depth of invasion. No matter what diagnostic technique is used, there is always the possibility of a false-negative diagnosis. Other procedures using different tools may be performed as a diagnostic and staging tool.
New
Join us for the next awareness campaing D.O.C.T. (Detect Oral Cancer Today) in coordination with European Efforts: http://www.mouthcancerwalk.org/ scheduled for Sept 2009
Coming up: ASK THE DENTIST - MY BABY'S TOOTH - FAIRY TALES (forums & blogs)
Stay tunned for updates!
The functional, cosmetic and psychological insults suffered by Oral Cancer patients often result in social isolation, significantly burdening patients, their families and society.
Please share with everyone you know this information you have received tonight. It will help save lives.
Thank you,
Dr. Beatriz Totzke DDS
Wishing all patients and visitors a healthy and productive life.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
www.OralCancerFoundation.org
www.gla.ac.uk
www.mouthcancerfoundation.org
www.cancer.med.umich.edu
www.upenn.edu/ARG/archive/ccta/intro.html
http://www.roswellpark.org
http://www.moffitt.org