Oral cancer kills one American every hour of every day. According to the SEER database, oral cancer has a higher mortality rate than several better publicized cancers, such as cervical cancer and testicular cancer. Some oral cancers are now known to be linked to exposure to the sexually-transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), which means that anyone who is sexually active is potentially at risk for the disease. Because of this, many health experts advise everyone 18-years-old and older to get an oral cancer exam on at least an annual basis.
Regular exams can help address the fact that oral cancer is typically discovered in late stages, when the 5-year survival rate is around 30%. When discovered in early stages, however, the survival rate leaps to 80-to-90%, according to SEER data. Early detection can help reduce not only the mortality rate, but the degree of invasiveness and disfigurement resulting from treatment.
The VELscope handpiece shines a safe, blue light into the oral cavity and excites natural tissue fluorescence. When viewed by the clinician through the handpiece’s patented filters, abnormal tissue typically appears as an irregular, dark area that stands out against the otherwise normal, green fluorescence pattern of surrounding healthy tissue. The VELscope Vx is the most powerful tool available for assisting in the discovery of oral abnormalities. The VELscope's distinctive blue-spectrum light causes the soft tissues of the mouth to naturally fluoresce. Healthy tissues fluoresce in distinctive patterns — patterns that are visibly disrupted by trauma or disease. Using the VELscope, a wide variety of oral abnormalities can be discovered — often before they're visible to the unassisted eye.
Discovering soft tissue abnormalities is particularly important in the fight against oral cancer. Because the VELscope Vx assists in early detection, cancer can be caught before it has time to spread, potentially saving lives through less invasive, more effective treatment. Please visit VELscope.com for more information.