Velscope.
VELscope and the early detection of oral cancer
- In the UK, over 4,500 new cases of mouth cancer are diagnosed annually
- Less than 50% of cases will survive 5 years
- Early treatment as a result of detection can improve outcome of patient survival from 50% to nearly 90%
This cancer, found in the mouth, lips or throat, is often highly curable if diagnosed and treated early. Unfortunately, in its early stages, oral cancer can go unnoticed.
Those at high risk for oral cancer include tobacco users and heavy drinkers, but anyone can develop oral cancer. According to the Oral Cancer Consortium, 25 percent of people diagnosed with oral cancer have no risk factors
Your dentist and hygienist usually screen you for any signs of oral cancer at your regular checkups but some symptoms of oral cancer can be invisible to the naked eye.
The FDA has recently approved a device to detect oral cancer called a VELscope. The VELscope is non-invasive and uses a bright blue light to emphasize any changes in the mouth that a dentist or hygienist could not normally see.
Dr. Kenneth Magid, a professor at New York University College of Dentistry, states on the Oral Cancer Foundation website, "The problem, for the most part, is that early oral cancer looks like everything else. It looks like a million other injuries and changes in the tissue in the mouth. It's a red spot or a white spot. We see them all the time." But using the VELscope to detect oral cancer can make abnormalities really stand out.
Early diagnosis is the key to a successful outcome. With early treatment the long-term prognosis is greatly improved. Although we have done routine visual exams as part of your check up appointments in the past, we have been limited to only seeing tissue changes once they have reached and affected the surface.
In line with our policy and to fulfil your expectations of comprehensive care, we have now incorporated tissue fluorescence diagnostic technology into our practice. It is our strong belief that in order to ensure your tissues are in a healthy state we need to move beyond what the eye can see to what the eye cannot see. This technology allows us to become aware of potential soft tissue problems in the early stages, so we can to come to an earlier diagnosis that in turn would lead to earlier treatment and a better and more positive outcome.
We are now able to offer this groundbreaking technology to our patients. The same way that bitewing x-rays revolutionized the early detection and treatment of dental caries, so will the VELscope help in early detection of oral cancer.
A VELscope examination is included in your private examination at no charge.
