Oral Cancer: Are You Asking the Right Questions?

Did you know that most HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers may not be visibly detectable because of their location? Anatomical sites for this virus are most often located at the back of the throat, base of tongue, or tonsil regions.1 Performing oral cancer screenings on every patient that includes an enhanced extra- and intraoral visual and tactile exam is a vital part of our role as clinicians, but is this alone enough?
According to the CDC, most sexually active people will develop an HPV infection during their lifetime, and most will not even be aware of it because 9 out of 10 of these individuals will clear this virus on their own.2 However, for some, this virus can remain dormant and return later as cancer. Educating our patients about the signs and symptoms is imperative for early discovery...
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According to the CDC, most sexually active people will develop an HPV infection during their lifetime, and most will not even be aware of it because 9 out of 10 of these individuals will clear this virus on their own.2 However, for some, this virus can remain dormant and return later as cancer. Educating our patients about the signs and symptoms is imperative for early discovery...
Click Here to Read More