Dr. Hunter to offer free oral cancer screenings
Dr. Hunter
April 6, 2016
Charlea Estes
In recognition of April being oral cancer awareness month, Dr. Carolyn Hunter’s office in Cassville will offer free oral cancer screenings over a four-day span the last week in April.
Monte Wolf, Dr. Hunter’s office manager, said that the initiative was to help give back to the community. “She wants to educate the community and offer this service to them.”
Part of the risk of oral cancer is that it often affects young, healthy, non-smoking adults, not just those with obvious risk factors like tobacco and alcohol use. Wolf said, “Dr. Hunter had gone to a conference and one of the speakers gave a phenomenal talk about the dangers of oral cancer. It’s things we don’t think about. You think it’s a smoker or someone who chews, but the prevalence of contracting it through HPV is really high. It can be young, healthy, non-smokers.”
Estimates for HPV have risen in recent years with the Center of Disease Control releasing data that most adults will have it at some point in their lifetime.
According to the Oral Cancer Foundation (OCF), oral cancer kills one person every hour in the United States, and it’s that risk that drove Dr. Hunter to offering the screenings.
Wolf said, “They don’t have to have an appointment. They can just come in. It takes less than five minutes for the screening.”
According to the OCF, oral cancer has a 80 to 90 percent survival rate if caught in the early stages. Dr. Hunter uses a special light to help detect oral cancer that will continue to be available as part of all her initial exams, as well.
“When we have a patient come in for an initial exam, it is part of the initial comprehensive cleaning, but she wanted to do more during April.”
The screening consists of looking at variety of areas in the oral cavity, upper portion of the mouth and the teeth as well as tongue, hard and soft palates. They check for any abnormal tissue growth, as well.
Early signs of oral cancer can be hard to detect and can include changes in gums and hoarseness of the voice. Having a screening increases the likelihood of catching it in the early stages of development. While Dr. Hunter won’t diagnose whether any abnormalities are cancerous or not, she will give patients information to proceed with.
Free oral cancer screenings will be available from Monday, April 25, through Thursday, April 28, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Dr. Carolyn Hunter’s office. The office is located 77 Smithson Drive in Cassville. For more information, call (417) 847-2461. Her website is www.carolynhunterdmd.com.
Charlea Estes
In recognition of April being oral cancer awareness month, Dr. Carolyn Hunter’s office in Cassville will offer free oral cancer screenings over a four-day span the last week in April.
Monte Wolf, Dr. Hunter’s office manager, said that the initiative was to help give back to the community. “She wants to educate the community and offer this service to them.”
Part of the risk of oral cancer is that it often affects young, healthy, non-smoking adults, not just those with obvious risk factors like tobacco and alcohol use. Wolf said, “Dr. Hunter had gone to a conference and one of the speakers gave a phenomenal talk about the dangers of oral cancer. It’s things we don’t think about. You think it’s a smoker or someone who chews, but the prevalence of contracting it through HPV is really high. It can be young, healthy, non-smokers.”
Estimates for HPV have risen in recent years with the Center of Disease Control releasing data that most adults will have it at some point in their lifetime.
According to the Oral Cancer Foundation (OCF), oral cancer kills one person every hour in the United States, and it’s that risk that drove Dr. Hunter to offering the screenings.
Wolf said, “They don’t have to have an appointment. They can just come in. It takes less than five minutes for the screening.”
According to the OCF, oral cancer has a 80 to 90 percent survival rate if caught in the early stages. Dr. Hunter uses a special light to help detect oral cancer that will continue to be available as part of all her initial exams, as well.
“When we have a patient come in for an initial exam, it is part of the initial comprehensive cleaning, but she wanted to do more during April.”
The screening consists of looking at variety of areas in the oral cavity, upper portion of the mouth and the teeth as well as tongue, hard and soft palates. They check for any abnormal tissue growth, as well.
Early signs of oral cancer can be hard to detect and can include changes in gums and hoarseness of the voice. Having a screening increases the likelihood of catching it in the early stages of development. While Dr. Hunter won’t diagnose whether any abnormalities are cancerous or not, she will give patients information to proceed with.
Free oral cancer screenings will be available from Monday, April 25, through Thursday, April 28, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Dr. Carolyn Hunter’s office. The office is located 77 Smithson Drive in Cassville. For more information, call (417) 847-2461. Her website is www.carolynhunterdmd.com.
