quote:

National Screening Committee Policy Position - May 2005*

Screening should not be offered.

A series of workshops was held by small expert groups and a report presented to the NSC in March 2003. Oral cancer is increasing in young adults, but the natural history of the disease remains largely unknown. The experts recommended that:

1) the epidemiology of the disease be investigated with long-term prospective studies

2) opportunistic screening by all health professionals should be encouraged

3) population awareness should be increased through other health education programmes.

* This position will be reviewed in 2006/2007

quote:

National Screening Committee Policy Position - July 2006*

Screening should not be offered.

A series of workshops was held by small expert groups and a report presented to the NSC in March 2003. Oral cancer is increasing in young adults, but the natural history of the disease remains largely unknown. The experts recommended that:

1) the epidemiology of the disease be investigated with long-term prospective studies

2) opportunistic screening by all health professionals should be encouraged

3) population awareness should be increased through other health education programmes.

* This position will be reviewed in 2007/8

quote:

A device that helps dentists detect the earliest signs of mouth cancer is being hailed as a major breakthrough which could offer hope to thousands of patients.

The oral screening system, unveiled in Yorkshire yesterday, allows dentists to spot signs of the disease which are not yet visible to the naked eye.

The disease claims a life every three hours in Britain and its five-year mortality rate of about 50 per cent is higher than that for breast cancer, cervical cancer and skin melanoma.

Until recently, the main method of detecting mouth cancer has been visual screening, which relies on a naked eye view under white or incandescent light, as well as a physical examination of the area by a dentist.

The company behind the new VELscope , LED Dental Inc, says cancers are often only visible under those conditions when they are at or near the surface of the mouth or tongue – which in many cases only happens at the late stages of the disease.

It says the new device allows dentists to detect lesions that may not be apparent to the naked eye under traditional white light examinations, and will also help surgeons make sure that all diseased tissue is successfully taken out when removing cancerous lesions.

At the launch in Ilkley yesterday the founder of Yorkshire-based charity the Mouth Cancer Foundation, Dr Vinod Joshi, said: "We are excited to have the VELscope technology available to the general public in England as it will help in earlier detection of mouth cancer. That is the key to reducing the number of people who die from or are disfigured by the disease."

Mouth cancer has traditionally been associated with older men who smoke and drink, but an increasing number of victims of the disease are younger women and men who do neither.

When detected early, survival rates can jump to 80 per cent or higher.

The new screening method, which lasts just a few minutes, involves the dentist using a hand-held device to shine a blue light into the oral cavity.

When viewed through the device filters, abnormal tissue typically appears as an irregular, dark area that stands out against the otherwise green fluorescence pattern of surrounding healthy tissue.

If abnormal tissue is detected and determined to be a potential cause for concern, the dentist may ask the patient to return for a follow-up examination or refer them for biopsy and diagnosis.

The company claims that If surgery is required, the system can then also be used by the surgeon in hospital to help determine the appropriate boundary of the area to be removed.

The chairman of the British Dental Association(BDA) executive board, Susie Sanderson, said yesterday: "The number of new cases of mouth cancer has increased by more than 30 per cent in the last 10 years, with tobacco and alcohol identified as the main risk factors for the condition.

"Early detection and treatment of mouth cancer significantly enhances a patient's chance of surviving the disease.

"This is an interesting development and the dental association looks forward to seeing more work to ascertain this device's life-saving potential."