• 1/22/2004
  • New York, NY
  • New York University

OCF Founder Brian Hill was the subject of an article in Nexus, a publication of New York University. The Dean of the university’s dental school, Dr. Michael Alfano has been a supporter of the foundation’s efforts since the inception of OCF. Content of the article follows:

BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ORAL CANCER FOUNDATION

Late stage oral cancer patients have a significantly poorer survival rate than those who have their cancer caught early. Early detection of the disease can make a difference in whether or not a patient survives their encounter with cancer or not. Brian Hill was one of the lucky ones. As a late stage 3 survivor, he is acutely aware of the issues related to oral cancer and its early detection, and now works to bring that awareness to others. He has established The Oral Cancer Foundation, a national, non-profit organization designed to reduce suffering and save lives through early detection, education, research, advocacy, and support, an act which has led him to discover a new mission in life.

In 1993, Brian Hill was living the American dream. Still in his early 40s, he had recently sold the successful company he founded, Implant Support Systems, Inc., which designed, manufactured, and distributed dental implants, to Lifecore Biomedical, a firm specializing in synthetic body fluids and implantable devices. The sale left him financially secure, and with a lifestyle that he describes as being “on top of the world.”

But that American dream was cut short when a lump in his neck was diagnosed by his ENT as cancer. Worse, the primary cancer which was found in his mouth, had been there for some time, perhaps more than 18 months, and the lump was a metastasis. His cancer was being caught in an advanced stage. No obvious risk factors, no pain, no warning. What’s more, he believed that he was receiving excellent oral health care. Having worked in the industry, he was very dentally aware. He had been under the care of two different dentists during the previous 12 months, one for a check up and X-rays, the other to have a crown done on a lower molar. Two different hygienists had taken care of his six-month cleanings. But there was a problem: none had performed an oral cancer screening. If they had, the cancer wouldn’t have had time to grow as large as it did and to metastasize to his neck.

At the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he was treated, Brian endured disfiguring surgery followed by painful radiation treatments, which caused the outside of his neck and his mouth to bleed and become openly raw and blistered. Because he could no longer eat or drink through his mouth, he lost 50 pounds. He became addicted to pain killers, and his immune system, beaten up by the therapies, made him a target for infections in his mouth and elsewhere.

After years of treatment, Brian’s cancer is in remission, but he is very aware that oral cancer commonly produces second, primary tumors, particularly in the first five years after treatment. “Armed with what I now know,” he says, “I’ll be looking for any signs of it, and it won’t go unnoticed like the first time.” Today Brian devotes 100 percent of his time to The Oral Cancer Foundation, striving to build a consensus among the dental and medical communities, the public, and corporations on the importance of routine oral cancer screenings. The foundation believes that an informed and involved dental community can significantly reduce both the death rate and the morbidity of this disease. Dean Alfano, who serves on The Oral Cancer Foundation’s Advisory Board, believes that as a survivor who has made oral cancer awareness, prevention, and early detection his personal crusade, Brian is indispensable to efforts to make the disease a major national health issue. Says Dean Alfano, “I encourage every alumnus and friend who reads this article to visit Brian’s Web site, at www.oralcancerfoundation.org and to become a member of The Oral Cancer Foundation.”