Unfortunately, the incidence of oral cancers is rising quickly. While cancers of the mouth used to be seen mostly in people with high risk factors (smoking, snuff use, alcohol use, family history of cancer, aging), the biggest rise has been in people with NO apparent risk factors. One out of four people who get oral cancer fall into the “no risk” group. In addition, oral cancers are very deadly, and horribly disfiguring, with only a 50% survival rate. EARLY DETECTION IS CRITICAL!
More than 34,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year, compared with 9,700 cases of cervical cancer per year. However, unlike cervical cancer, until recently there was no early detection test for oral cancers. The good news is that now that has changed! We now have Identafi early screening test to assist in early detection.
We’re proud and excited to be one of the few offices in the state to have invested in the latest and best cancer screening technology available, the Identafi screening device. This amazing equipment allows us to “see” down to the inner cell layers for any cancerous or pre-cancerous cell changes, vastly improving our ability for early detection. Best of all, it is absolutely painless.
Patients with no risk factors need to have this inexpensive test done once per year, and those at high risk every six months.