Recognized by the World Health Organization in 2009 as a commercialized medical device that addresses global health concerns and is accessible to low and middle-income countries. The award-winning VELscope, the latest model release of VELscope technology, uses natural tissue fluorescence to improve the way practitioners examine the oral mucosa and screen for tissue abnormalities by enhancing the visualization of pre-cancers, cancer, and other disease processes.
This year alone, nearly 54,000 people in the USA will be diagnosed with oral and oropharyngeal cancer and nearly 11,000 will die.
Often generally referred to as “oral cancer”, oral and oropharyngeal cancers are any cancer that forms in the mouth, lips, cheeks, gums, tongue, hard palate, tonsils and throat.
In many cases, oral or oropharyngeal cancers are not diagnosed until the localized lesion has spread regionally to lymph nodes in the neck or metastasized to a more distant part of the body such as the lung. Once this happens the options for treatment are diminished and the chances of a full recovery are reduced dramatically. The importance of finding oral cancer early is illustrated in the graph below showing the 5-year relative survival rates according to the stage of the cancer upon discovery:
Unfortunately, the latest statistics indicate that oral cancer, when initially diagnosed, is still localized (i.e., hasn’t spread) only 28% of the time. By ensuring that you have regular oral screenings and performing self-evaluations, you can help change this statistic!
If oral cancer is discovered early, the 5-year relative survival rate is over 85%. If discovered late, it is only about 40%. This year, about 54,000 people in the USA will be diagnosed with oral/oropharyngeal cancer and nearly 11,000 will die. Early detection is key.
Often generally referred to “oral cancer”, oral and oropharyngeal cancers are any cancer that forms in the mouth, lips, cheeks, gums, tongue, hard palate, tonsils and throat.
Most of the time oral cancer is diagnosed late only when it has spread regionally to the lymph nodes in the neck or, even worse, to a more distant location in the body such as the lungs. When found late like this survival rates are dramatically reduced. Regular oral screenings could save your life.
Also referred to as an intra and extraoral head and neck exam, this is an examination performed by a clinical practitioner that assesses your head and neck for anything unusual (e.g. asymmetry or abnormal lumps and bumps) and also the inside of your oral cavity. The clinician uses both their eyes (visual assessment) and their hands (palpation) to help check for anything unusual. You’ll usually remember if you’ve had this examination performed because it involves having your tongue gently pulled out so that the clinician can get a good look at the base of your tongue. Although this examination is an overall assessment of the health of your head and neck region and is checking for all kinds of disease, one of its most important functions is to screen for oral cancer and precancer (so-called “dysplasia”).
Your dentist or hygienist performs an examination with the VELscope after they have performed the COE to try and find anything that they might have missed with the regular exam. The VELscope emits specific wavelengths of blue spectrum light into your mouth to stimulate natural tissue fluorescence which can be viewed directly through the VELscope. Research has shown that the VELscope can help find abnormal tissue that might have unnoticed by the naked eye.
If your dentist or hygienist finds something unusual that needs further investigation, don’t panic, it doesn’t mean that you have oral cancer! There are all sorts of conditions that can lead to abnormalities in your oral mucosa and most of them are unrelated to oral cancer. Some of them will go away on their own and some may require some sort of action on the part of the clinician to resolve. In these circumstances, you may be asked to come for a follow-up visit so that the area can be reassessed and, occasionally, your dentist may refer you to a specialist for a biopsy. Biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing abnormal tissue.
There are some excellent resources on the internet for more information on oral and oropharyngeal cancers and their associated risk factors. We encourage you to take advantage of these resources to find out more and become better educated about oral cancer.
Some good starting points are:
Sun Exposure
Prolonged exposure to the sun, without using sun protection, has been linked to cancer in the lip region. Although cancer can occur on any part of the lip, it most often appears on the lower lip. Signs and symptoms can include:
Age
Oral and oropharyngeal cancers are more commonly diagnosed in patients 55 years or older, as these cancers can take many years to develop. However, oropharyngeal cancers linked to an HPV infection are often diagnosed in younger people. To be safe, everyone should be regularly screened for oral cancer, regardless of age.
Gender
Males are diagnosed with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers 2-to-1 over females. According to Cancer.org, a contributing factor to the variance in cases among men and women may be because men are more likely to use and consume higher amounts of tobacco and/or alcohol. There are also more cases of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers diagnosed among men.
Ethnicity
In the USA, the black ethnic population is diagnosed with oral cancer 2-to-1 over the white ethnic population. In addition, the black population also has only a 33% 5-year survival rate, compared to a 57% survival rate for the white population.
Diet
Poor nutrition, particularly diets low in fruits and vegetables, have been linked to increased risk of oral and oropharyngeal cancers.
Chewing betel quid, which is made up of areca nut (betel nut), spices, lime, and other ingredients, or chewing gutka, which is betel quid and tobacco combined, have been linked to increased risk of mouth cancer. Beta quid and gutka are commonly found in Southeast and South Asia.
Genetic predisposition
People with syndromes caused by inherited defects (mutations) in certain genes have a very high risk of mouth and middle throat cancer. For example, people with Fanconi Anemia or Dyskeratosis Congenita have an increased risk developing mouth and throat cancers.
Oral Cancer Screening
$35
Mammograms
$184
Pap Smears
$40
PSA Test
$240
Colonoscopy
$2,750
