A New Diagnostic Tool that Can Help Save Your Life
Every year 34,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the oral cancer and in 5 years only half of those diagnosed will still be alive. This is a startling statististic, made even more grim by the fact that it doesn’t have to be this way.
Unfortunately there is no definitive cure on the horizon for oral cancer but a relatively new diagnostic test, called ViziLite is available in our Cincinnati dental office to help detect the disease early, while it is still treatable.
“The reason oral cancer has such a high mortality rate is that it is often caught in the late stages after it has metastasized,” says Dr. Omeltschenko. “If we can visually see a lump during a dental examination we’ve often caught the disease too late.” A ViziLite test can be performed to locate cancerous and precancerous cells before they can be seen by the naked eye.
What is ViziLite?
ViziLite is a detection system used by dentists to find abnormal tissues in a patient’s mouth. ViziLite is a kit containing a special rinse and light that help illuminate areas of concern.
How does ViziLite work?
To perform a ViziLite test, a patient swishes a special solution in his/her mouth for two minutes and then spits it out. Next, a specially designed light, called ViziLite Plus, will be passed over the oral tissue of the patient by a dentist or hygienist. Normal, healthy tissue will absorb the light and appear dark, abnormal tissue will appear white. If abnormal tissue is identified, the dental professional will determine what the appropriate next steps are. Typically the next step is to biopsy the tissue that was identified as abnormal to determine if it is cancerous.
What are the benefits of VizLite?
- Quite bluntly, the main benefit of ViziLite is that it can save your life. When oral cancer is found at the earliest stage, treatment is quicker, simpler, less involved and more than 90% successful.
- ViziLite enables a dentist to see abnormal tissue that they simply wouldn’t be able to see by a visual examination alone.
Who is at risk for oral cancer?
In our Cincinnati dental office our patients seem to think oral cancer is something that only strikes tobacco users. This simply isn’t true. Oral cancer can strike anyone, even young people with no history of tobacco use. Sadly, we have even seen the disease strike our fellow dental professionals.
With that said, there are certain risk factors which increase ones chances of developing oral cancer. These risk factors include tobacco use, alcohol consumption and persistent viral infections, such as HPV. Also, the majority of people are over age 40 when the disease is discovered.
The facts about oral cancer:
The Oral Cancer Foundation reports: (www.oralcancerfoundation.org)
- 34,000 Americans are diagnosed a year with oral cancer.
- It causes 8,000 deaths a year.
- Of the 34,000 Americans diagnosed in a year, only half will still be alive in 5 years.
- Oral cancer’s death rate is higher than that of cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, cancer of the brain, liver, testes, kidney or skin cancer.
- The death rate is high because oral cancer is often discovered late in it’s development.
- The majority of people are over age 40 when the disease is discovered.
- Risk factors include tobacco use, alcohol consumption and persistent viral infections, such as HPV.