TARRYTOWN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Preventing oral cancer -- a killer that is rapidly growing among women, young people and non-smokers -- may now be as simple as doing a self-exam of the inside of your mouth and making an appointment with your ear, nose and throat doctor, thanks to the OralCDx®BrushTest® developed by CDx Diagnostics and available by appointment at ENT and Allergy Associates (ENTA) with 37 offices throughout New York and New Jersey. This quick, accurate and painless test -- likened to an oral Pap smear -- is a covered benefit under virtually all medical insurance and, when combined with patient self-examination, places oral cancer on the short list of potentially preventable cancers such as skin, colon and cervical cancer.
“Individuals already know that to prevent skin cancer they need to examine themselves regularly for moles and show them to their dermatologist so that precancerous cells can be ruled out,” says Wayne B. Eisman, M.D., F.A.C.S., president of ENTA. “For the first time, they can also help to prevent oral cancer by regularly checking the mouth for white or red spots -- as small as a sesame seed -- and then pointing them out to their ENT doctor who can then rule out precancerous cells with a quick, painless, and minimally invasive test. At ENT and Allergy Associates, this program of patient self-examination combined with the OralCDx BrushTest is now helping to prevent this major, debilitating, and often deadly cancer.”
For mostly unknown reasons, oral cancer is rapidly rising among what used to be low-risk groups: women, young people and non-smokers. According to the National Cancer Institute, oral cancer kills about as many Americans as melanoma and twice as many as cervical cancer. Over 25 percent of oral cancer victims have no known risk factors and the five-year survival rate is among the lowest of all cancers.
“In 1950 cervical cancer was the leading cause of cancer death in American women, but by 1992 it had dropped to #14,” continues Dr. Eisman. “Routine use of the Pap smear to identify still-harmless precancerous cells before cervical cancer could start has saved millions of lives. We hope to similarly reduce oral cancer incidence by encouraging everyone to add oral self-exam to their daily routine.”
Although the majority of small spots in the mouth are caused by everyday trauma, such as cheek biting, a sharp tooth, or a pizza burn, some spots are dysplastic, meaning that they contain precancerous cells that, if untreated, could become cancerous.
The OralCDx®BrushTest®was developed by CDx Diagnostics, the world’s leader in the prevention of head, neck and esophageal cancers. OralCDx has already been used to test over 500,000 patients with oral spots resulting in the detection and removal of over 20,000 precancers while they were still harmless.
To find an ENTA office and schedule an appointment for a BrushTest, visit www.entandallergy.com.
About ENT and Allergy Associates
ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP (www.entandallergy.com) is the largest and most comprehensive ear, nose, throat, allergy and audiology practice in the nation with 37 offices and over 125 physicians. Each location provides access to a full range of services, including General Adult and Pediatric ENT, Voice and Swallowing, Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery, Disorders of the Inner Ear and Dizziness, Asthma, Clinical Immunology, Diagnostic Audiology, and Hearing Aid dispensing. The practice has a clinical alliance with the Mount Sinai Medical Center for the treatment of diseases of the head and neck and a partnership with the American Cancer Society to educate and treat patients with smoking disorders and cancer. The Practice has also expanded its clinical capabilities to include advanced Immunodeficiency trials.
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