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VELSCOPE ORAL CANCER SCREENINGS NOW AVAILABLE
Our office now offers Oral Cancer Screening using the Velscope detection light. This technology offers our specialty doctors the ability to detect lesions not capable of being seen by the naked eye.
Information about Oral Cancer as found on Velscope’s website.
The mortality rates associated with oral cancer have not changed in over 30 years due in part to the limitations of white light inspection of the oral cavity. Traditional oral cancer screening using white light is best at detecting readily apparent changes at the tissue surface. Unfortunately, the tissue changes that lead to oral cancer actually start below the surface at the basal membrane. These changes may not be visible to the naked eye until the disease progresses to the surface.
Oral cancer is often curable when detection, diagnosis, and treatment are performed early. This means detecting mucosal abnormalities at or before Stage 1 cancer. Early detection of potentially malignant lesions and accurate identification of biopsy locations are significant factors in decreasing morbidity and mortality rates associated with oral cancer.
Risk factors for oral cancer include tobacco use, frequent alcohol consumption, a compromised immune system, a past history of cancer, and the presence of the Human Papillion Virus (HPV). Alarmingly, 25% of newly diagnosed cases of oral cancer do not fit the high-risk profile. Therefore, all patients over the age of 18 should be screened annually for oral cancer.