{"id":8130,"date":"2012-04-04T09:49:11","date_gmt":"2012-04-04T13:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=8130"},"modified":"2012-04-08T10:12:24","modified_gmt":"2012-04-08T14:12:24","slug":"april-is-oral-cancer-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=8130","title":{"rendered":"April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don’t ignore early warning signs, when in doubt, get it checked<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Dr. Stephanie McGann<\/strong>, DMD FAGD, Columnist, UnionvilleTimes.com<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Most of my friends, colleagues and patients know that I am passionate about prevention. My family, my friends and my patients have all been touched by oral cancer. \u00a0Oral cancer is no fun.\u00a0 Your dental professional is trained to evaluate the health of all the oral tissues. If you have even the slightest concern, have it checked out.\u00a0 Please.<\/p>\n

Oral cancer is more common than you think.\u00a0 More than 40,000 cases of oral cancer are reported every year. \u00a08000 Americans are killed each year by this form of cancer. The death rate for oral cancer is higher than cervical cancer. \u00a0Most of these cases are found on the tongue or floor of the mouth. Lips, cheeks, gums and palate can also be affected.\u00a0 Early detection is crucial.\u00a0 Most oral cancers can be removed surgically when they are detected early. \u00a0The earlier a cancer is detected and treated the greater the survival rate.<\/p>\n

Who is at risk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Historically tobacco users were at the top of the list for developing oral cancers. Today excessive use of alcohol, exposure to the sun\u00a0 and individuals with the human papilloma virus are at increased risk.<\/p>\n

Are there warning signs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oral cancer is typically painless in its early stage.\u00a0 It can be a discolored patch in the mouth.\u00a0 Thickened\u00a0 tissues or lumps in or around the mouth.\u00a0 White patches where folks keep their smokeless tobacco are usually pre-cancerous and can become oral cancers with repeated exposure.\u00a0 As a malignancy progresses some of these lesions or lumps may become painful.\u00a0 Persistent hoarseness or difficulty swallowing can also be associated with a cancerous lesion.<\/p>\n

What is involved in a cancer screening?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most dentists \u00a0include an evaluation of the soft tissues as part of a regular course of preventive dentistry.\u00a0 This screening, performed\u00a0 once every six months is crucial in evaluating the tissues. If you feel something looks or feels differently be sure to mention it to your dentist or dental hygiene professional.\u00a0 A more advanced form of screening involves a special acetic acid rinse and or a light source that causes irregular cells to glow.\u00a0 This exam is offered by some dentists on an annual basis.\u00a0 If you are (or were) a tobacco user, this exam is a valuable tool.<\/p>\n

Screening exams are not designed to diagnose cancer.\u00a0 They are designed to screen out the healthy tissues so that more advanced testing and diagnostics can be performed on those who need it most.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A suspicious area will be biopsied, a small sample of tissue will be sent for microscopic examination. The results of this test will determine if additional treatment is necessary.<\/p>\n

Can oral cancer be prevented?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No one knows for sure what causes a cancer to start.\u00a0 However, reducing or eliminating risk factors is a good way to reduce the risk of \"\"<\/a>developing a cancerous lesion.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Reduce or eliminate all forms of tobacco use.<\/li>\n
  2. If you drink alcohol to excess, consider giving it up.<\/li>\n
  3. If you are not a carrier of HPV \u2013 get vaccinated.<\/li>\n
  4. If you notice any changes inside your mouth \u2013 report it to your dental professional promptly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Oral Cancer can affect anyone. It is a not a famous cancer, It doesn\u2019t have any profile organizations or fancy fundraisers.\u00a0 While we all know about the pink ribbons, hardly anyone knows that the red and white ribbon is the symbol for oral cancer.\u00a0 Yet it has been diagnosed in many famous people.\u00a0 Guess what all of these celebrities have in common?<\/p>\n

    Diane Von Furstenberg<\/p>\n

    Eddie Van Halen<\/p>\n

    Jack Klugman<\/p>\n

    Brett Butler<\/p>\n

    Aaron Spelling<\/p>\n

    Rod Stewart<\/p>\n

    George Harrison<\/p>\n

    Grover Cleveland<\/p>\n

    Babe Ruth<\/p>\n

    Lana Turner<\/p>\n

    Peter Tork<\/p>\n

    They are a just of few of the famous folks who have been diagnosed with oral cancer.<\/p>\n

    I know I have done my job because there is at least one human being walking around our community right now, because I bugged, begged, pleaded and finally succeeded in getting this person to have a biopsy.\u00a0 Today they are alive and well, because their dentist \u00a0(me) didn\u2019t let a little white spot get ignored.<\/p>\n

    Please be sure to get regular dental examinations and oral cancer testing!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    April 29th<\/sup> is a walk\/run in Philadelphia for oral cancer awareness.\u00a0 Check out oralcancerphilly.org<\/a>\u00a0 to learn more.<\/p>\n

    Dr. Stephanie McGann is a resident of the Unionville area and along with her partner, Dr. Marie Scott, operates The Brandywine Smile Center<\/a>, a family-friendly dental practice in Concordville. She is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Don’t ignore early warning signs, when in doubt, get it checked By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, UnionvilleTimes.com Most of my friends, colleagues and patients know that I am passionate about prevention. My family, my friends and my patients have all been touched by oral cancer. \u00a0Oral cancer is no fun.\u00a0 Your dental professional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,403],"tags":[404,1093,1094],"class_list":["post-8130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-health","tag-dental-health","tag-oral-cancer","tag-screenings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}