Gurnee Dentists Offer Velscope Advanced Oral Cancer Screening To Lake County, Illinois Patients. Oral Cancer Has Not Seen A Significant Reduction In Incidence Over The Last 30 Years.

    GURNEE, IL, June 01, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Oral cancer strikes three times as many victims as cervical cancer. It is one of the few types of cancer that has not seen a significant reduction in incidence over the past thirty years, and recent research has shown a strong association with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which can be sexually transmitted. For this reason, many oral health care professionals now believe that all individuals over the age of 18 should have at least an annual comprehensive oral examination, and ideally at every dental hygiene visit.

The FDA and Health Canada recently cleared the VELscope System for assisting dentists and hygienists in discovering cancerous or precancerous growths that may not be apparent to the naked eye. A screening with the VELscope System adds only one or two minutes to a conventional examination, is completely free of any pain or discomfort, and is affordably priced. More and more insurance companies are covering the cost of the screening. Dr Shapira and Amidei (http://www.delanydentalcare.com)were among the first dentists to incorporate the the vizilite system for cancer detection into their office. They have now decided to invest in the VELscope System to improve their early detection diagnostic abilities. The VELscope System is used as a part of a comprehensive exam process that includes visual light exam and palpation of tissues. There are several advantages to the system that can detect cancers in their earlies stages.

Oral cancer is typically discovered in late stages, when the five-year survival rate is only 22% accounting for over 8000 deaths a year. If detected in early stages, however, the five-year survival rate is 80% or higher. The VELscope System can also help discover abnormal growths before they become cancerous. According to Dr Ira Shapira and Dr Mark Amidei of Delany Dental Care Ltd, "We have always conducted an annual comprehensive oral cancer screening for all of our patients, but now the VELscope System will help us see things we might have missed previously. By detecting potential problems earlier, we will be providing our patients with the best health care currently available". "Oral Cancer risk factors include tobacco use, frequent and/or excessive alcohol consumption, a compromised immune system, past history of cancer, and the presence of the HPV virus. Recently however 25% of all newly diagnosed cases have been in patients under the age of forty with none of the known risk factors. Oral Cancer is one of the few cancers whose survival rate has not improved in the past 50 years. This is due primarily to the fact that during this time we have not changed the way we screen for this disease (a visual and manual examination of the oral cavity, head, and neck).

For more information regarding the VELscope System, visit www.velscope.com, or call Delany Dental Care (http://www.delanydentalcare.com) at 847-623-5530 with any questions and to schedule an appointment. Dr Shapira felt it was imperative to switch to this new technology when it became apparent that it could not only detect lesions earlier but also helped show the extent of the lesions beneath the surface of the oral mucosa. Combined with digital photography it will provide important diagnostic and early treatment information. Dr Shapira has always been proactive when it comes to cancer for personal reasons. His wife, Elise is a seven time breast and ovarian cancer survivor currently in remission. He recently attended the FORCE convention with Elise in Florida on hereditary breast and ovarian cancers associated with BRAC1 and BRAC 2 gene mutations. Delany Dental Care Ltd has done a progam in the past with the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure breast cancer group where they donated $50 for every new patient in their practice to that group raisinf several thousand dollars for cancer research. They are now donating $50 to FORCE for each new patient mentioning this program. More information on FORCE is available at http://www.facingourrisk.org/index.php

The FDA has cleared two expanded indications for VELscope regarding detection and excision of Oral Cancer. The LED Dental Device Intended to Help Detect Lesions That Might Not Be Visible With Conventional Exams And to Help Determine Surgical Margins.

LED Dental Inc. has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand the indications for use for its VELscope Oral Cancer Screening System. The two expanded indications involve the ability to help detect lesions that may not be visible under traditional white light examinations, including precancerous and cancerous growths, and the ability to help surgeons ensure that all diseased tissue is successfully removed when excising cancerous lesions.

Indications For Use
According to the indications for use recently cleared by the FDA, "VELscope is intended to be
used by a dentist or health-care provider as an adjunct to traditional oral examination by
incandescent light to enhance the visualization of oral mucosal abnormalities that may not
be apparent or visible to the naked eye, such as oral cancer or pre-malignant dysplasia.
VELscope is further intended to be used by a surgeon to help identify diseased tissue around
a clinically apparent lesion and thus aid in determining the appropriate margin for surgical
excision."

These expanded indications for use are based on two studies conducted by scientists at the
British Columbia Cancer Agency and published in the January 2007 issue of Head and Neck
and the November 2006 issue of Clinical Cancer Research. The first study reported cases in
which VELscope facilitated the detection of precancerous or cancerous tissue that was not
visible to an expert under conventional white light visualization. In the second study, in
which VELscope was used to help identify surgical margins, 90 percent of the biopsy
samples taken from areas that were beyond the clinically-apparent boundary but identified
by VELscope as suspicious were ultimately diagnosed as either cancer or dysplasia.
Moreover, 50 percent of the tumors exhibited cancer or dysplasia at or beyond the
traditional 10 mm surgical margin.

Oral Cancer: The Forgotten Disease
Oral cancer is one of the few forms of cancer that have not experienced a significantly
decreased mortality rate in the past 30 years. Deaths from oral cancer are higher than
from cervical, testicular, laryngeal or thyroid cancer. It is estimated that over 34,000
Americans will develop oral cancer in 2007, and that only about half of them will be alive in
five years. One American dies of this disease every hour of every day.

The traditional profile of an oral cancer victim is that of a heavy user of tobacco and alcohol
who is at least 40 years old. However, the number of victims who do not fit this profile has
been growing at an alarming rate in recent years. One reason may be the growth in the
occurrence of the human papilloma virus (HPV), one strain of which is now thought to be a
possible cause of oral cancer. Because of this, many health professionals are now recommending that annual oral cancer screenings be performed not merely on the traditional at-risk group, but on all adults 18 years-old and older.

Oral Cancer: Detectable and Treatable
The high mortality rate of oral cancer is largely the result of the late stage at which the
disease is typically detected. Fortunately, the 5-year survival rate is estimated to be 80%
or higher when oral cancer is detected at early stages. Annual dental hygiene exams are
generally considered to be the ideal opportunity to conduct an oral cancer screening. The
VELscope exam is intended to supplement the conventional white light visual exam and can
be given by a hygienist in only one or two minutes.

"VELscope is uniquely able to help facilitate the early detection of oral cancer, as it is the
only adjunctive device cleared as an aid in the identification of lesions that may not be
apparent under white light examination, including precancerous or cancerous lesions," said
Steven Semmelmayer, president and CEO of LED Dental Inc. and its parent, LED Medical
Diagnostics Inc. "Moreover, VELscope is the only adjunctive device cleared to help surgeons
minimize the risk of inadequate tissue removal."

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FROM THE VELSCOPE.COM WEBSITE "
Historically, it has been difficult to determine which abnormal tissues in the mouth are worthy of concern. The fact is, the average person routinely has conditions existing in their mouths that mimic the appearance of pre-cancerous changes, and very early cancers of the soft tissues. One study determined that the average dentist sees 3-5 patients a day who exhibit soft tissue abnormalities, most of which are benign in nature. Even the simplest things, such as a canker sore (herpes simplex), the wound left by accidentally biting the inside of your cheek, or sore spots from a poorly fitting prosthetic appliance or denture, all at first examination, share similarities with dangerous lesions. Some of these conditions cause physical discomfort, others are painless. The question is which ones deserve action, and which ones bear watching and waiting?

There has been a tendency to watch these areas over an extended period to determine if they are dangerous or not. Unfortunately, this philosophy leads to a situation in which a dangerous lesion may continue to prosper and grow into a later stage, hard to cure cancer. Any sore, discoloration, induration, prominent tissue, irritation, hoarseness, which does not resolve within a two week period on its own, with or without treatment, should be considered suspect and worthy of further examination or referral. Besides a routine visit to the dental office for regular examinations, it is the patient's responsibility to be aware of changes in their oral environment. When these changes occur, they need to be brought to the attention of a qualified dental professional for examination. The dental professional needs to be current in the knowledge base necessary to make a proper diagnosis, and be competent in the proper screening procedures to identify oral cancer.

How to know if you have had a proper oral cancer screening
There are two separate issues, discovery and diagnosis. Discovery is the result of a thorough visual and manual examination. A protocol for a comprehensive oral cancer screening appears elsewhere in this section of the web site. It includes a systematic visual examination of all the soft tissues of the mouth, including manual extension of the tongue to examine its base, a bi-manual palpation of the floor of the mouth, and a digital examination of the borders of the tongue, and the lymph nodes surrounding the oral cavity and in the neck. New diagnostic aids, including lights, dyes, and other techniques are beginning to appear on the marketplace. While making the discovery process more effective, it is still possible to do a comprehensive examination through a proper visual and tactile process.

Once suspect tissues have been detected, the only way a definitive diagnosis of oral cancer may be made is through biopsy. Given the large number of tissue abnormalities a dentist sees every day, it is not logical, nor practical, that each one of these be biopsied. The first question which may help in the determination of which abnormality bears closer examination, is how long has the suspect condition been present? Any condition that has existed for 14 days or more without resolution should be considered suspect and worthy of further diagnostic procedures or referral. Certainly, it is common knowledge that two of the most prevalent lesions that mimic oral cancer, are the herpes simplex ulceration, and aphthous ulcerations, each resolving of their own accord in approximately 10-14 days. Perhaps that sentence should be underlined, since one of the most common diagnoses received with referred patients to a major university cancer pathology department is "an atypical herpetic/aphthous lesion" These all too frequently turn out to be squamous cell carcinomas, which have been under observation.... for several months.

Still, it would seem impractical at these early timelines to engage in biopsy. A oral biopsy brush is available that makes this decision to get an early diagnosis through biopsy easier to make. Simple, painless, and accurate diagnosis of soft tissue abnormalities can be obtained through its use.

Note that this system is not designed to provide the kind of information, specifically cellular architecture, that would be obtained through a punch or incisional biopsy. But it will provide an answer to the question of whether malignancy exists or not, through a quick, minimally invasive, and inexpensive procedure. Should positive results be returned through this system, the brush biopsy must be followed by a conventional biopsy procedure for confirmation. The strong argument for the brush biopsy is that it eliminates the waiting and watching of a suspicious lesion, while it develops from a highly treatable and curable, early stage localized cancer, into a life threatening late stage malignancy. Positive identification of oral cancers at the earliest stages, result in the best prognosis for cure and long-term survivability.

Creating awareness, discovery, diagnosis, and referral. When it comes to oral cancer and saving lives, these are the primary responsibilities of the dental community. The most important step in reducing the death rate from oral cancer is early discovery. No group has a better opportunity to have an impact than members of the dental community.

About LED Dental
LED Dental Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LED Medical Diagnostics Inc., which was
founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more information,
call 1-888-541-4614, or visit www.VELscope.com.

Dr Ira L Shapira is an author and section editor of Sleep and Health Journal, President of I HATE CPAP LLC, President Dato-TECH, and has a Dental Practice with his partner Dr Mark Amidei. He has recently formed Chicagoland Dental Sleep Medicine Associates. He is a Regent of ICCMO and its representative to the TMD Alliance, He was a founding and certified member of the Sleep Disorder Dental Society which became the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, A founding member of DOSA the Dental Organization for Sleep Apnea. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, A Diplomat of the American Academy of Pain Management, a graduate of LVI. He is a former assistant professor at Rush Medical School's Sleep Service where he worked with Dr Rosalind Cartwright who is a founder of Sleep Medicine and Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr Shapira is a consultant to numerous sleep centers and teaches courses in Dental Sleep Medicine in his office to doctors from around the U.S. He is the Founder of I HATE CPAP LLC and http://www.ihatecpap.com Dr Shapira also holds several patents on methods and devices for the prophylactic minimally invasive early removal of wisdom teeth and collection of bone marrow and stem cells. Dr Shapira is a licensed general dentist in Illinois and Wisconsin.

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