Awareness for oral cancer is of such great importance because the high fatality rate among oral cancer patients could have been lessened with earlier detection.  Today we are going to talk about oral cancer symptoms and the types spots that those screening for oral cancer symptoms are looking for. MD Anderson Cancer Center offers an excellent resource for information on oral cancer.

There are three types of suspicious spots: Leukoplakia, Erythroplakia and Erythroleukoplakia.  Below is information from MD Anderson on the types of areas that raise concern when oral cancer screenings are being conducted and oral cancer symptoms to look for:

Suspicious Areas:

Leukoplakia is a white area or spot in the oral cavity. About 25% of leukoplakias are cancerous or precancerous.

Erythroplakia is a red, raised area or spot that bleeds if scraped. About 70% of erythroplakias are cancerous or precancerous.

Erythroleukoplakia is a spot with both red and white areas.

Symptoms of Oral Cancer:

• Sore in the mouth or throat that doesn’t heal
• Loose teeth
• Lump or thickening in the neck, face, jaw, cheek, tongue or gums
• Difficulty swallowing or the sensation that something is caught in the throat
• Earache or sore throat that does not go away
• Dentures that cause discomfort or do not fit well
• Difficulty chewing, swallowing or moving the tongue or jaw
• Persistent bad breath
• Unexplained weight loss
• Change in voice

A person who is experiencing these oral cancer symptoms does not necessarily have oral cancer. However, as early detection is critical to increased survival rate, it is important to have an oral cancer scan conducted by your dentist in order to ensure health.  Many dentists are beginning to make oral cancer screening a routine part of patient appointments.  Check with your dentist to learn if it is a part of your appointment and request a screening if not.

One of our joys as the Fight Oral Cancer Foundation is to bring awareness to the severity of the existence and spread of oral cancer.  One of the ways that we bring about awareness is through speaking engagements and participating in health fairs and free oral cancer screenings.

In November we had the opportunity of speaking at the Highland Spring Center’s health fair.  Highland Spring is an active living facility.

The Fight Oral Cancer Foundation had an informational booth and Arma had a chance to present a 15 minute presentation, speaking about her oral cancer.  It was truly a joy to be a part of the health fair and raising awareness with the kind people at the facility.  We look forward to many more opportunities in 2010.

The below excerpt on Oral Cancer comes from a Press Release from Identafi 3000 titled: AAOMS 91st Annual Meeting in Toronto Oct. 15-17 – Offers Opportunity for Identafi 3000 Ultra Demo

Oral cancer kills one person, every hour, every day, Trzeciak observed.

“Oral cancer is typically detected by a doctor, not a dentist, by which time it is usually a late-stage diagnosis,” he said. “In fact, 40 percent of those diagnosed with oral cancer will be dead in five years and 78 percent diagnosed with Stage IV, late-stage cancer will be dead in five years. Early detection of oral cancer would improve the survival rate to 80 to 90 percent.” He noted that fewer than 15 percent of those who visit a dentist get screened regularly; rarely is the best available technology used.

“When you look at the five-year mortality rate for oral cancer, it’s scary,” Trzeciak said. “Oral cancer is more deadly than the more familiar cancers: breast, cervical, and prostate, and also more deadly than liver, kidney, thyroid, or colon cancers.”

According to an article by the American Association of Cancer Research, in 2001 “approximately 30,000 individuals developed cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, and pharynx” in the United States. Since that time the numbers have greatly increased due to HPV’s increase and other high-risk habits still being practiced.

Along with the use of tobacco products, alcohol use is another leading cause of oral cancer. The use of tobacco and alcohol together create an even higher risk of cancer. In fact the Nursing Times posted an article that states that approximately “three quarters of oral cancers are thought to be caused by smoking and drinking alcohol.”

The American Cancer Society published an article recently describing the affects of alcohol consumption on the risk of cancer. It has become clear over the years that excess alcohol consumption or even simply consistent consumption will increase the risk of cancer, and even more so, the risk of oral cancer.

The American Cancer Society states: “Oral cancers are six times more common in alcohol users than in non-alcohol users. About 75% to 80% of all patients with oral cancer consume alcohol frequently. Smokers who also drink are at much higher risk.” Generally, it has been found that men who have two drinks a day and women who have one drink a day show an increased risk of cancer. Decreasing your intake of alcohol will also decrease your risk of cancer.

If you have a habit of having an alcoholic drink on a daily basis, you may want to consider lowering your consumption in order to lower your risk of cancer. If in addition you use tobacco products, consider working towards eliminating tobacco altogether. These two factors could have long-term effects on your health. The risk is not worth it.

Oral cancer kills one person every day. The large number of oral cancer cases is highly attributed to the use of tobacco, including smoking, snuffing and chewing tobacco.  Tobacco has long-been known as a leading cause of oral cancer.   According to the MD Anderson, “34,000 people are diagnosed with cancers of the mouth and oropharynx in the United States each year.” Although this number is great in itself, the rates are much higher internationally. Hungary and France have some of the highest number of oral cancer cases due to Tobacco.  India ranks in the top as well due to Tobacco and Areca Nut and Betel Nut chewing.  Oral cancer cases are three times higher in Asia than they are in the United States. All numbers of oral cancer cases do not take into consideration the number of cancers that go undiagnosed in 3^rd world countries and impoverished areas, where hygiene, dental care and medical assistance is not readily available or non-existent.

Oral cancer is one of the causes of tobacco use, but in addition, the American Cancer Society asserts that tobacco is “linked to 15 different cancers, and accounts for 30% of all cancer deaths.”  Most commonly cancer is found on the “floor of the mouth and the lips.  It can also be in the gums, teeth, salivary glands, the lining of the lips and cheeks, the roof of the mouth and behind the wisdom teeth.”

Even with the statistics stacked against tobacco use, one in five Americans are still using tobacco products.

Below are some common symptoms that MD Anderson offers.  Early detection is important, thus if you have any of the below treatment, a doctor’s visit is suggested in order to determine the cause of the abnormal area.

• A white area or spot in the oral cavity.
• A red, raised area or spot that bleeds if scraped.
• A spot with both red and white areas.
• Sore in the mouth or throat that doesn’t heal
• Loose teeth
• Lump or thickening in the neck, face, jaw, cheek, tongue or gums
• Difficulty swallowing or the sensation that something is caught in the throat
• Earache or sore throat that does not go away
• Dentures that cause discomfort or do not fit well
• Difficulty chewing, swallowing or moving the tongue or jaw
• Persistent bad breath
• Unexplained weight loss
• Change in voice

If you have been diagnosed with cancer and are still using tobacco, there are tobacco treatment programs available. Continued use of tobacco products could “affect cell growth, cell death and tumor density, hindering the effectiveness of treatment.”

“Together we fight oral cancer. Together we save a life every hour.”  – Fight Oral Cancer Foundation

The focus of this article is the Identafi technology and its effectiveness for finding oral cancers. Recently, a free oral cancer screening was held at Saratoga Race Course in Houston. Using the technology they were able to find a case of oral cancer.

“You have a lot of people who come from all over the country, especially to Saratoga,
who haven’t been to a dentist,” Dr. Robert Trager said. “Even the ones who have been
to a dentist still don’t realize what oral cancer is and how deadly the threat can be.”

As with all cancer, early detection is a key point of survival.  New technology like the Identafi makes early detection even more likely.  For dentists looking for a new piece of technology to benefit their patients, please click on the icon to the lift for the complete article.

TinStar is partnering with FOCF to raise money for oral cancer.  Click here for the posted poster about this oral cancer event.

You, your family and your colleagues are invited to an evening of fundraising at the Frisco TinStar restaurant location on December 8th from 4:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Address:

3301 Preston Road, Ste. 1
Frisco, TX 75034

A percentage of all proceeds from Dine In and Take Out that day will be donated to The Fight Oral Cancer Foundation.

Your meal will help us in our mission to save a life every hour of every day, as we are losing one person to oral cancer every hour of every day.

Your participation is greatly appreciated.

God bless you.

Our Best Regards,
The Fight Oral Cancer Foundation Team

“Together we fight oral cancer. Together we save a life every hour.”  – The Fight Oral Cancer Foundation

The below article was written by Lawrence A. Hamburg, DDS.  Dr. Hamurg is a dentist that was diagnosed with oral cancer.   He states in the article:

There are many ways to learn, but I wish I had not had to learn firsthand the experience of Stage IV oral cancer.  Seventy-eight percent of those diagnosed with Stage IV oral cancer are dead within five years. I’m lucky. I’m in remission.

Like Lou Gehrig, I feel I’m the luckiest man on the face of the earth — or, as I wrote in the Feb. 6, 2008 issue of Newslweek, ‘The luckiest person coming out of the 10th floor at Beth Israel’s head and neck cancer ward.’

Two years ago I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. Fortunately, I was able to save my tongue and vocal chords. I firmly believe I was spared so that I could speak to you, my fellow dentists, and convey a first-person message of how critical it is for you to screen your patients for this dreaded disease.

For the full article, click the PDF image to the left.

“Together we fight oral cancer. Together we save a life every hour.” – The Fight Oral Cancer Foundation

For those of you who enjoy case studies and learning how those in the medical field are coming to conclusions regarding early detection of oral cancer, below is an article with a medical case study. On page 4, the article states:

Increasing need for additional non-invasive tests to augment conventional white light
oral examination has driven the development of various real-time light-induced
fluorescence visualization devices for detection and delineation of potentially
malignant oral lesions.

“Together we fight oral cancer. Together we save a life every hour.”  – The Fight Oral Cancer Foundation