Oral Cancer Screening and Detection In Alhambra and Pasadena

Unfortunately, 70% of oral cancers are diagnosed in stages III and IV, the late stages. For those among us who actually survive late stage detection, a more disfiguring outcome is inevitable, including difficulty eating, drinking, and speaking.

While our lifestyles dictate our increased risk, we are all at risk. 25% of oral cancers occur in people who don’t smoke and have no other risk factors. Signs and symptoms of oral cancer include one or more of the following:

• Mouth sores that fail to heal or bleed easily
• White or red patches in the mouth that are chronic and persistent
• Lump, thickening or soreness in the mouth, throat, or tongue
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing food

The key to fighting oral cancer is early detection, but identifying lesions early is difficult with an unaided visual examination. To provide oral cancer screening and detection we recommend you have a VelScope® exam.

The VelScope® exam involves using a special Handpiece that emits a safe blue light into the oral cavity, causing tissue fluorescence from the surface of the epithelium through to the basement membrane, where pre-malignant changes typically start and in the stroma beneath. The special, patented optical filtering in the Handpiece allows the clinician to immediately view the different fluorescence signatures from the oral tissue to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue.

Abnormal tissue, such as dysplasia or cancerous lesions, typically appear as irregular, dark areas that stand out against the otherwise normal, green fluorescence pattern of surrounding healthy tissue. This technology thus helps dental practitioners identify potentially dangerous growths that might have been missed with the naked eye, yet this exam takes only 2-to-3 minutes. Oral cancer screening and detection is the key to fighting oral cancer!