Colonoscopies. Skin-cancer checks. Mammograms. PSA tests. With all of the cancer screenings you already undergo throughout your life, what does it mean to have an oral cancer screening, too? Luckily, no laxatives, bending, or coughing are involved.
When you think about cancer, you probably don’t consider oropharyngeal (i.e., oral) cancer. With all the information about breast cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer, and prostate cancer, oral cancer gets short shrift.
Nevertheless, nearly 60,000 women and men in the United States are diagnosed with oral cancer each year. The disease kills about one person each hour, every single day.
The reason that the death rate is higher for oral cancer than for other cancers, including common ones like cervical cancer, is that it’s usually found at a later stage. That’s why annual or biannual oral cancer screenings should be part of your preventive routine.
Addie Chang, DMD, is an expert family dentist specializing in early detection, cleaning and prevention. To reduce your risk for oral cancer and to improve your outcome if it’s found, she recommends biannual oral cancer screenings at her practice in Tukwila, Washington.
What happens during an oral cancer screening? You’ll barely notice. Here’s why.
Your biannual prevention and cleaning visit to our office includes an oral cancer screening. Dr. Chang visually inspects the soft tissues of your oral cavity and pharynx (i.e., throat), including your:
She shines a light into your mouth while moving a mirror around, checking for abnormalities. She also peers down your throat to see if she can discern abnormal tissue or lesions.
An oral examination is important because oral cancers rarely create symptoms. She looks for signs such as:
Finding these abnormalities early may prevent the cancer from spreading. Unfortunately, more than 50% of oral cancers that are identified are so advanced that they’ve already spread to lymph nodes or other organs.
If Dr. Chang identifies suspicious areas or lesions, she may order further tests. Finding and removing precancerous tissue is especially important in oral cancer. Once you have an oral cancer lesion, there’s a high risk of recurrence after it’s been removed,
Tests that can help further visualize suspicious areas include:
The first two techniques are used to help differentiate normal tissue from abnormal tissue visually. The last two are used to collect cells with cotton, brush, or stick. We then send the cells to a pathology lab to have them evaluated.
If you’re over 20 years old, you should make sure that you get an oral cancer screening at least every three years. However, once you’re over 40, you should be screened at least once a year. You may need more screenings if you have risk factors such as:
Good oral health care already includes a twice-yearly visit to your dentist for a professional cleaning and examination. We will add your initial oral cancer examination as part of that visit. Let us know if you need more intensive screenings due to risk factors.
Take care of your entire mouth and health — not just your teeth and gums. Contact our sympathetic team by phone or online today for an oral cancer screening and preventive visit.
