• 4/11/2005
  • Okemos, MI
  • Yahoo Finance (biz.yahoo.com)

Each year, approximately 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer, making it the sixth most common cancer in the U.S. With one life lost every hour to oral cancer, this deadly disease claims as many lives as melanoma and more than cervical cancer. To help in the fight against oral cancer, Delta Dental encourages everyone to ask their dentist about oral cancer screenings during Oral Cancer Awareness Week, April 11-17.

Early detection saves lives.

Like many cancers, the key to survival is early detection. Early detection of oral cancer can dramatically increase the five-year survival rate from a dismal 57 percent to 81 percent. It can even be prevented if detected at the precancerous stages.

Dental professionals play a crucial role in early detection and are adopting a relatively new tool called a brush biopsy to catch oral cancer in its earliest stages or even as a precancerous lesion. Now, if dentists see unexplained red or white spots they feel need testing, they can perform the brush biopsy procedure right in the office. The brush biopsy is a quick and painless procedure that uses a small brush to collect cells from the spot, which are transferred to a slide and sent off to a high-tech laboratory for analysis. More than 160,000 brush biopsies have been performed by dentists in the U.S.; the test has already detected thousands of cases of precancers and early oral cancers. The affiliated Delta Dental Plans of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana are one of the first dental benefits providers in the U.S. to cover the brush biopsy.

“With the painless detection of early oral cancer now possible, many patients will soon realize that by visiting their dentists regularly, they will not only be protecting their teeth and gums, but may also save their lives,” said Dr. Jed Jacobson, vice president of Professional Services and dental director at Delta Dental. “I encourage patients to ask their dentist about oral cancer screenings.”

Brian Hill, oral cancer survivor and founder of the Oral Cancer Foundation, believes early detection is critical to survival. The core mission of the foundation is to increase public awareness and literacy related to the disease, and to press for more screenings to be performed by dental and medical professionals.

“Today in the United States, two-thirds of oral cancer is diagnosed in its late stages,” says Hill. “Delta Dental’s proactive involvement in the early detection process will help save lives and encourage people to visit their dentist regularly for oral cancer screenings.”

Cost savings from early detection.

In addition to saving lives, early detection through the brush biopsy has the potential to significantly reduce medical treatment costs. Oral cancer is one of the most expensive forms to treat, with the average cost for an advanced case at $200,000.

According to the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, nationally the cost of treating people with oral cancer is nearly $2 billion a year.

Oral cancer is also one of the most disfiguring of cancers, and often affects a person’s ability to speak, eat, and breathe. The physical deformity that can occur as a result of aggressive treatment often prevents people from returning to work. According to studies from the University of Michigan Health System and Pennsylvania State University, people treated for head and neck cancer (including oral cancer) have the highest rate of work disability and unemployment after treatment.

If oral cancer is detected early, treatment tends to be more conservative, producing fewer complications and permanent disfigurements.