The statistics from the Oral Cancer Foundation and the American Cancer Society are chilling:

• 49,750: The number of people who will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year in the United States.

• 132: The number of new oral cancer cases diagnosed each day.

• 1: The number of people who die every hour, every day, 365 days a year from oral cancer.

These figures are stark, and they represent lives cut too short or altered dramatically by the devastating impact of oral cancer.

Most cases of oral cancer are found in their late stages, resulting in an extremely high death rate. In fact, more than 40% of those diagnosed with oral cancer die within 5 years, due to late-stage diagnosis. In contrast, early detection (stage I and II) of oral cancer yields survival rates of up to 90%. Early detection is key to stopping the progression of the disease and minimizing the impact on those who are diagnosed.

Low Awareness

In the United States, awareness and education surrounding oral cancer is low. In observance of National Oral Cancer Awareness Month and Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week this April, Vigilant Biosciences joined with the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, the Oral Cancer Foundation, and Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer to launch a campaign to raise awareness about oral cancer and its risk factors. As part of this campaign, we announced findings from our 2017 Oral Cancer Awareness Survey, which polled more than 500 US adults on knowledge, perceptions, and preferences about oral cancer and oral cancer screening.

– See more via Awareness Is the Key to Fighting Oral Cancer | Dentistry Today