HOUSTON, Texas--Oral cancer was detected in at least one member of the public who participated in the free oral cancer screening held at Saratoga Race Course in July 2009.
The screenings featured Trimira's Identafi 3000 oral cancer detection device, an oral cancer screening tool that uses a patented triple-wavelength (multispectral) fluorescence and reflectance optical system.
Identafi 3000 ultra is an intraoral device available for dentists and doctors to screen patients for early signs of oral cancer.
"You have a lot of people who come from all over the country, especially to Saratoga, who haven't been to a dentist," Dr. Robert Trager said. "Even the ones who have been to a dentist still don't realize what oral cancer is and how deadly the threat can be."
The Saratoga positive oral cancer finding was confirmed after a biopsy conducted by the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine at Storrs, according to Dr. Trager.
Dr. Trager, who has offices at JFK and LaGuardia International airports, has been organizing public oral cancer screenings for the past five years at Saratoga and for the past 25 years at Belmont Park.
Dr. Trager and a group of volunteers, including oral surgeons, dentists, and dental students from the Nassau, Suffolk and Queens county dental societies and the dental hygiene program at Farmingdale State University of New York's School of Health Sciences, also conducted oral cancer screenings at an October 2009 event at Belmont Park.
At the Bemont Park event, five suspect cases merited brush biopsies for further oral cancer investigation, Dr. Trager noted.
Doctors who assisted in the screening of nearly 100 Belmont Park patrons included Dr. Doran Kalman, Dr. John L. Guariglia, Dr. John Foty, and Dr. Constance Phillips.
Dr. Trager pointed out that oral cancer kills someone every hour of every day.
"Everyone knows about cervical, breast, liver, kidney, thyroid, colon, or prostate cancers," he said. "Those are the highly publicized cancers, the ones with all the funding. But, in terms of five-year mortality rate, oral cancer is more deadly than any of those other cancers."
In fact, 40% of those diagnosed with oral cancer will be dead in five years. Early detection through regular screenings would improve the survival rate to 80 to 90%.
Today, oral cancer is growing at double-digit rates, despite declines in the traditional vectors of alcohol and tobacco use. This increase is due largely to the spread of HPV-16 and -18 via all forms of sex, but particularly oral sex. Oral cancer is skyrocketing in the young adult population--primarily due to HPV and the oral sex vector.
The racetrack oral cancer screenings were conducted using Trimira's Identafi detection device. Identafi 3000 ultra uses white, violet, and green-amber wavelengths of light to excite oral tissue in distinct ways. It enables those on the front line of detection to catch early indicators and stages of oral cancer and pre-cancer that are missed by the naked eye.
Early detection of oral cancer translates into cure rates of greater than 80%, which is why the American Cancer Society and American Dental Association recommend opportunistic screening for oral cancer.
The ADA estimates that while 60% of Americans visit a dentist every year, fewer than 15% of those who regularly visit a dentist receive an oral cancer screening.
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