Close to 43,250 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year. It will cause over 8,000 deaths, killing roughly 1 person per hour, 24 hours per day. Of those 43,250 newly diagnosed individuals, only slightly more than half will be alive in 5 years.
In case you didn’t know, April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. Fabgrandpa is an Oral Cancer Survivor, since 2001. The treatment for this awful disease is surgery, radition, and or chemotherapy. Fabgrandpa had the surgery, and then 37 radiation treatments in 2001. Luckily he did not have to go through chemo. Not every patient with Oral Cancer is as lucky as my husband is. Some of them die, some of them have disfiguring scars, and others lose the ability to eat using their mouth, and have to be fed through a tube for the rest of their lives.
The key to preventing a death, disfigurement, and a feeding tube is early detection of Oral Cancer. One of the easiest ways to find Oral Cancer is to just look in your mouth and nose. Ask your dentist to do a routine check for Oral Cancer when you go for your regular checkups.
Great Expressions Dental Centers in the Atlanta area will be offering free oral cancer screenings to the public throughout the entire month of April – Oral Cancer Awareness Month. Call them today to make an appointment for your free exam.
Here are ways to help prevent Oral Cancer:
- Avoid smoking and any type of tobacco product. According to the National Cancer Institute, tobacco use is the leading cause of oral cancer. Tobacco includes cigarettes, pipes, cigars and chewing tobacco. Not only can use of these products cause oral cancer in the mouth but also parts of the throat.
- Limit alcohol use. Using alcohol is a large risk factor for oral cancer. The more alcoholic drinks consumed daily, the higher the risk of oral cancer. The risk is about twice as high in people who have three to four alcoholic drinks per day compared to those who don’t drink alcohol, according to the National Cancer Institute
- Sun exposure. Repeated exposure to sunlight may increase the risk of lip cancer, which most often occurs on the lower lip. Applying chapstick with sunscreen everyday will help prevent sun damage and cancer.
- Regular dentist visits and self-examinations. Scheduling your six month exams is a great way to keep a healthy mouth. The dentist is the first line of defense in identifying dental health problems that may be associated with oral cancer, so it’s important to meet with them regularly and ask for an oral cancer screening. In addition, be sure to take a few minutes each month for a self-exam to see if you can see or feel anything suspicious including lumps; bumps; tender areas; and any white, red or grey patches. If these symptoms are found, contact your dentist immediately.
- Brushing and flossing daily. Brushing twice a day with a fluoride based toothpaste is critical in removing bacteria that causes cavities, gingivitis and bad breath. Flossing sometimes is easily forgotten, however, if you don’t floss, you will miss cleaning 35 percent of your tooth surfaces. Flossing in the evening will remove bacteria that like to feed on food particles throughout the day and prevent bad breath.
- Spotting early and advanced indicators. Early indicators of oral cancer include: red or white discolorations of the soft tissues of the mouth, any sore that does not heal within 14 days and hoarseness which lasts for a prolonged period of time. Advanced indicators of oral cancer include: a sensation that something is stuck in your throat, numbness in the oral region, difficulty in moving the jaw or tongue, difficulty in swallowing, ear pain in one side only, or a lump that develops in the mouth or on the neck.
The giveaway package–you’ll get all of this!
To get more information about Oral Cancer, its symptoms, and treatments options, check out the Oral Cancer Foundation website.
In help you get a good start on oral health, GEDC is sponsoring a giveaway of a great package of dental products. One winner will receive a package containing a Great Expressions Dental Centers tote bag; a Phillips Sonicare Electric Toothbrush; a Phillips Sonicare Air Floss; a travel bag with toothpaste, a toothbrush, a toothbrush holder, and floss; a Zoom Tooth Whitening Pen, a water bottle, and a lip balm.
Enter to win this package using the Giveaway Tools entry form below:
mommyjenna says
April 22, 2014 at 7:25 pmI learned about the over 43k that will be diagnosed in 2014. That is so scary =(
kelly mcgrew says
April 22, 2014 at 10:52 pmi learned that new cases annually exceed 640,000
Ashley L says
April 23, 2014 at 9:55 ammouth cancer will be newly diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US alone – Did not know that. That’s sad.
Connie Lee says
April 23, 2014 at 5:14 pmWhen found at early stages of development, oral cancers have an 80 to 90% survival rate.
Rebecca B says
April 23, 2014 at 6:00 pmI had no idea that there were 640,000 new cases each year.
Darlene Carbajal says
April 23, 2014 at 6:35 pmI learned that mouth cancer will be newly diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US alone.
julie murphy says
April 23, 2014 at 6:56 pmThey are non profit.
Sonya Morris says
April 25, 2014 at 12:06 amA person dies of oral cancer every half hour of every day.
Tabathia B says
April 26, 2014 at 5:26 pmI learned mouth cancer will be newly diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US alone
Jessica says
April 27, 2014 at 2:04 amI learned that patients who survive a first encounter with the disease, have up to a 20 times higher risk of developing a second cancer.
Margaret Smith says
April 27, 2014 at 4:29 pmI learned that you can not only get oral cancer from tobacco use, but also from HPV-16 virus
Colleen Boudreau (collifornia) says
April 28, 2014 at 3:14 pmI learned that when found at early stages of development, oral cancers have an 80 to 90% survival rate.
alyshiaf says
April 28, 2014 at 4:07 pm115 people are diagnosed daily with oral cancer.
amy pugmire says
April 28, 2014 at 7:15 pmI learned thatmouth cancer will be newly diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US alone.
Daniel M says
April 28, 2014 at 11:48 pmlearned mouth cancer is diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US, scary.
Debbie says
April 30, 2014 at 8:45 amThere are two ways people get oral cancer. One, tobacco and alcohol, and the other through exposure to HPV-16 virus.
Tari Lawson says
April 30, 2014 at 6:51 pmI learned “This is the fifth year in a row in which there has been an increase in the rate of occurrence of oral cancers.”
fmd518 says
April 30, 2014 at 7:27 pmnew cases annually exceed 640,000
everafterinthewoods says
May 1, 2014 at 7:19 amI had no idea that oral cancer was such a huge concern!
Brittney House says
May 1, 2014 at 4:23 pmThere are 640,000 new cases each year.
Holly says
May 1, 2014 at 9:37 pmI learned that oral cancer can also come from HPV.
micaela6955/Michele Pineda says
May 1, 2014 at 10:08 pmI learned that every day, 115 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed
courtney b says
May 3, 2014 at 2:25 pmi learned cigaretts can cause oral cancer
Cálaeb Temple says
May 3, 2014 at 7:10 pmi learned tobacco use can cause oral cancer.
sandra says
May 4, 2014 at 9:54 amI learned about 43,250 people in the US will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer in 2014
kims2312 says
May 4, 2014 at 2:06 pmA person dies of Oral Cancer every hour. 24 hours a day.
Veronica V says
May 4, 2014 at 8:09 pmOral cancer is the largest group of those cancers which fall into the head and neck cancer category.
candy kratzer wenzel says
May 7, 2014 at 11:14 pmI learned that 80-90 percent of oral cancer have a good survival rate if caught early.
Donna Pyszk says
May 8, 2014 at 5:40 pmThis is pretty scary Close to 43,250 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year. It will cause over 8,000 deaths, killing roughly 1 person per hour, 24 hours per day. Of those 43,250 newly diagnosed individuals, only slightly more than half will be alive in 5 years. – See more at: http://oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/#sthash.0wyUrj65.dpuf
danielle Marie says
May 10, 2014 at 3:56 am115 people are diagnosed with oral cancer daily. 🙁
xdanimarie(at)yahoo(dot)com
Nancy says
May 10, 2014 at 4:46 pmHere’s what I learned. They have a Screening and Event Calendar on their site.
Teresa Thompson says
May 11, 2014 at 11:30 amI learned that Oral cancer is the largest group of those cancers which fall into the head and neck cancer category.
Virginia Rowell says
May 11, 2014 at 3:15 pmI learned nutritional deficiencies associated with heavy drinking can lower the body’s natural ability to use antioxidants to prevent the formation of cancers.
Susan Smith says
May 11, 2014 at 3:44 pmI learned that mouth cancer will be newly diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US alone.
Danielle says
May 11, 2014 at 5:06 pmI learned that mouth cancer will be newly diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US alone, and a person dies from oral cancer every hour of every day.
Jennifer Reed says
May 11, 2014 at 6:32 pmI learned that while some think this is a rare cancer, mouth cancer will be newly diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US alone, and a person dies from oral cancer every hour of every day.
Maria B says
May 11, 2014 at 7:23 pmI learned that the majority are found as late stage cancers, and this accounts for the very high death rate of about 43% at five years from diagnosis
Shannon says
May 12, 2014 at 2:47 amI learned that he death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of cancers which we hear about routinely such as cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, laryngeal cancer, cancer of the testes, and endocrine system cancers such as thyroid, or skin cancer (malignant melanoma).
Candace says
May 12, 2014 at 11:49 amnew cases annually exceeding 640,000
Rachel Coleman says
May 12, 2014 at 2:41 pmI learned that OCF, is a national public service, non-profit entity designed to reduce suffering and save lives through prevention, education, research, advocacy, and patient support activities, and that many people die from this each year.
susansmoaks says
May 12, 2014 at 3:37 pmeach year there are more than 640,000 new cases
Karrie Millheim says
May 12, 2014 at 4:17 pmI learned there are 640,000 new cases each year.
Kobi Hensley says
May 12, 2014 at 4:56 pmI learned that mouth cancer will be newly diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US alone. Each day!! Sad 🙁
Rebecca Lock says
May 12, 2014 at 10:12 pmI learned that there are 640000 new cases every year.
Stephanie Galbraith says
May 12, 2014 at 10:44 pmThe Oral Cancer Foundation is a national public service, non-profit entity designed to reduce suffering and save lives through prevention, education, research, advocacy, and patient support activities.
Lesley F says
May 12, 2014 at 11:07 pmI learned that mouth cancer is diagnosed in 115 new individuals each day
Vikki Billings says
May 12, 2014 at 11:10 pmI learned that there are new cases annually that exceed 640,000
Brian E. says
May 12, 2014 at 11:53 pmThanks for the giveaway…you should make sure your dentist does an oral cancer screening with each visit.
Alison james says
May 13, 2014 at 12:36 pmcancer of the mouth is a horrible thing and it’s so important to keep a clean mouth. My heart goes out to those who suffer through this form of cancer.