April Is Oral Cancer Awareness Month
For the sixth consecutive year, Dr. Fiss will be offering free oral cancer screenings (usually $35) using the VELscope® Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment System at all cleanings during the entire month of April. Dr. Fiss is committed to doing his part to raise awareness of the importance of early detection of this devastating disease. As with most cancers, early detection dramatically increases the survival rate. Dr. Fiss and his staff are proud to be part of the first line of defense against oral cancer by encouraging yearly oral cancer screenings as well as educating his patients as to the risk factors and early signs and symptoms of oral cancer.
Facts
- Approximately 48,250 Americans will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer in 2016.
- When found at early stages of development, oral cancers have an 80 to 90 percent survival rate.
- Unfortunately, the majority are found as late-stage cancers, and this accounts for the very high death rate of about 43 percent at five years from diagnosis.
- While smoking and tobacco use are still major risk factors, the fastest growing segment of oral cancer patients is young, healthy, nonsmoking individuals due to the connection to the human papillomavirus (HPV).
*Facts provided by www.oralcancer.org
Signs and Symptoms
- Red and/or white discolorations of the soft tissue of the mouth
- Any sore that does not heal within 14 days
- Hoarseness that lasts for a prolonged period of time
- A sensation that something is stuck in your throat when swallowing
- Unexplained numbness in the mouth
- Ear pain that occurs on one side only
- A sore under a denture that does not heal, even after adjustment of the denture
For additional information, please call (312) 642-6631 or visit our website at www.drfiss.com.