APRIL IS ORAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Our technologically advanced Velscope is best known for it’s ability to assist in the discovery of oral cancer and precancerous lesions.  Every hour of every day in America someone dies of oral cancer.  The disease claims over twice as many lives as cervical cancer.  Unlike most types of cancer, the number of new cases of oral cancer has not declined materially in the past three decades. Oral cancer’s high mortality rate is due to the fact that the disease is usually discovered in late stages. When discovered early the survival rate is between 80-90%.

The Velscope system is the first adjunctive device cleared by the FDA to help clinicians see cancerous and precancerous lesions that might not be visible to the naked eye. The Velscope hand piece emits a safe blue light into the oral cavity, causing tissue to become fluorescent from the surface to the basement of the membrane. The special optical filtering in the hand piece allows the clinician to immediately view the different fluorescence signatures from the oral tissue to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue. Abnormal tissue typically appears as irregular, dark areas that stand against the otherwise normal green fluoresce pattern surrounding healthy tissue. This exam takes only 2-3 minutes.

We are happy to offer our patients this technology in their preventive exams. If you have further questions about the Velscope feel free to ask Dr. Mullaney on your next visit to the office.

Information referenced from Velscope