There has been a recent rise in cancers throughout the world. People living healthy lives without alcohol abuse or smoking may still be prone to some forms of these cancers. Early detection of cancerous cells is the surest way of eliminating the disease, leaving as little adverse effects as possible.
In the oral cavity, small white and red spots occur often in average individuals. Though many of these spots may be harmless, they could also be harbingers of cancerous lesions. These precancerous cells form dysplastic tissue and may range from mild to severe lesions.
To the naked eye, the distinction cannot be made between a harmless red or white spot and a spot that may be dysplastic. Special testing in a laboratory is required to know this for sure.
The use of a velscope vx Enhanced Oral Assessment System makes the detection of lesions much easier and effective when used by one’s dentist. This is a simple handheld device, which uses visualization of a tissue’s natural fluorescence to detect whether a present lesion is precancerous or not.
One’s dentist can then brush suspected lesions in the mouth, using specialized brush kits, and send the sample obtained to the OralCDx laboratory. The process of collecting a sample, although largely painless, may result in minimal bleeding when correctly done. The advanced technology employed here is not available in any other laboratory, and fees are mostly covered by most insurance plans.
If tests come back and the cells are precancerous, the tiny spot can then be easily removed with very little damage to the oral cavity.
The importance of CDX in oral cancer is that:
- At a routine visit to one’s dentist, it can be determined if one has any dysplastic tissue, which commonly occurs in most individuals one time or the other.
- Most of these red or white spots may be completely normal with no precancerous cells; however, this can only be determined by laboratory testing.
- A red or white spot in the oral cavity discovered by the OralCDx laboratory to be dysplastic tissue can be easily removed, many years before it becomes full- blown cancer.
Early intervention completely prevents the cancer process from beginning and provides the best alternative to any form of treatment. OralCDx provides the solution for this intervention and may arguably be the best method of prevention against oral cancer.
Source: Linda J. Golden, DDS, of Golden Dental Wellness Center (444 Community Dr., Ste. 204, Manhasset). For more information or a consultation, call 516-627-8400.
