Instant Screening Device Is The Best Defense For Detecting Deadly Oral Cancer
March 2nd, 2010
Every year, over 34,000 Americans develop oral cancer. Many die, and many others must undergo surgery that leaves them permanently disfigured.
In the March 2010 issue of Esquire magazine, film critic Roger Ebert shared his story about his battle with the oral cancer disease. After multiple surgeries, he lost his lower jaw, along with his ability to speak and eat solid food.
Ebert brings publicity to a disease that hasn’t received much. Oral cancer can be a serious diagnosis, mainly because it usually goes undetected until it has reached an advanced stage and has spread throughout the body.
People in their 60s who use tobacco and/or alcohol were once thought to be most at risk of getting oral cancer, but new evidence suggests a more disturbing cause. Oral cancer is now linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV), the same virus that causes cervical cancer. This means that oral cancer can be spread via oral sex, which puts sexually active younger adults in a higher-risk category.
Dentists are usually the first to diagnose oral cancer, but 75 percent do not check their patients for signs of the disease. What’s more, the early signs of oral cancer are invisible to the naked eye, so even those who look for it may not spot it.
Luckily, there is a technology to detect the earliest signs of oral cancer. It’s called the VELscope, and it’s being used in approximately 500 dental practices throughout the United States.
Dr. Michael Koczarski of Woodinville, Wash., was one of the first to incorporate VELscope technology at his practice, Koczarski Aesthetic & Laser Dentistry.
“Having seen the effects of oral cancer firsthand, I realized the value of VELscope screenings,” says Dr. Koczarski. “They’re quick and painless, and can save lives.”
The VELscope uses a bright blue light to illuminate the mouth, revealing tiny abnormalities the eye cannot see. A VELscope screening involves shining this light on every part of the mouth, tongue and jaw, and noting lesions that may be signs of oral cancer.
Dr. Koczarski was involved in clinical trials of the VELscope and has used it to screen thousands of patients. “With the VELscope, we can catch oral cancer at a stage where it can be treated successfully,” he says. “I recommend that every adult get a VELscope oral cancer screening once a year.”
In honor of Oral Cancer Awareness Month in April, Dr. Koczarski is offering a free VELscope screening with every exam performed in April. Patients can schedule their appointments by calling 425-486-2200. For more about Dr. Koczarski and his practice, visit www.NWsmiles.com.
Sources: The Oral Cancer Foundation (www.oralcancerfoundation.org) and Fight Oral Cancer Foundation (www.fightoralcancer.org), Esquire magazine (www.esquire.com)
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Categories: Dental News, Dentists
I admit that I was lured in by the title. I thought there was something new and effective in the fight against oral cancer. I was shocked to see that it was just an ad for VELscope.
As an educator, I have to ask myself what is going on with our profession? - Are we going to allow marketers to dictate what’s best for our patients even if it’s not supported by research? This is oral cancer…not teeth whitening.
Does anyone read real dental publications and journals anymore? There was recent well-written article that came across my desk by Dr Lynn Solomon that talks about the lack of sensitivity of oral cancer screening aids. She basically says that there is no clinical evidence that proves there is any benefit to using VELscope.
And yet, this article appears on the web…touting the wonders of new technology…on the heals of the February JADA article that has a clinical study that puts the sensitivity of this “Best Defense” at around 50%. The conclusion: “The study results indicate that use of ViziLite or VELscope along with a conventional screening examination for lesions deemed clinically innocuous was not beneficial in identifying dysplasia or cancer.”
Clinical Implications: “Clinicians and patients could have a false sense of security after obtaining a negative ViziLite or VELscope examination result because potentially large numbers of precancerous and cancerous lesions will be missed by both devices.”
It seems like there are more and more of these lights every day. I saw “Sapphire Plus” in Chicago. The salesperson told me that it was basically VELscope with a camera attachment.
Any “aid” that creates a “false sense of security” for the dental profession…is that really an aid? How is that helping? I say enough already. Just do a thorough oral cancer exam and test (biopsy) anything that we can’t explain.