Griffin Hospital Offers Free Oral, Head, Neck Screenings

DERBY — Griffin Hospital will offer free oral, head, and neck cancer screenings Tuesday, April 24, from 4 to 7 pm. The event, held during the 15th annual Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, will be conducted at the Center for Cancer Care at 300 Seymour Avenue.

“Unfortunately, many Americans do not recognize the symptoms of these life-threatening diseases, which include cancers of the oral cavity, larynx and pharynx, and by the time they are diagnosed, for some, it’s too late,” said Ken Yanagisawa, MD, an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist and president elect of the CT ENT Society.

Oral, head, and neck cancer can arise in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, thyroid glands, salivary glands, throat or larynx (voice box). According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 52,610 new cases of cancer of the oral cavity and throat are expected in 2012.

The screening is painless and takes about ten minutes. Participating physicians include Dr Yanagisawa, Dr Ronald H. Hirokawa, Dr Maria N. Byrne, Dr Joseph Cardinale, and members of Huntington Family Dental Group in Shelton, Sensitive Care Dentistry in Milford, and Southern Connecticut Dental Group in Ansonia.

Oral cancer screenings are recommended for every adult, Dr Yanagisawa said, especially for tobacco and alcohol users who are traditionally at the greatest risk. However, oral cancer cases are on the rise in younger adults who do not smoke, and recent research indicates this development is due partly to the increase of the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus, an infection that can be transmitted by oral sex.

Symptoms associated with oral cancer, include:

*A mouth sore that does not heal or that increases in size

*Persistent mouth pain

*Lumps or white or red patches inside your mouth

*Difficulty chewing or swallowing or moving your tongue

*Soreness in your throat or feeling that something is caught in your throat

*Changes in your voice

*A lump in your neck

(Note: If you have any of these warning signs, do not wait for the free screenings; call the center for priority screening today.)

Space for the free screenings is limited, so early registration is encouraged. To register, call the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital at 203-732-1280.