There are some incredible discoveries at our disposal now, all trying to help us stay alive longer and have better lives. But I simply can't understand why sometimes these efforts coming from doctors and researchers seem to be in vain, as a lot of people do not seem to care if they live or die and take some unnecessary chances that finally lead to their early death.
I am talking here about those people who are well aware of the fact that smoking, alcohol abuse and a poor diet are great risk factors for all sorts of cancers and still they do not quit these nasty habits at least for the sake of their lives. Oral cancer is one of those diseases that are caused by these bad habits and one of the rare cases when a disease is continuously growing in numbers instead of decreasing, in spite of the fact that it is now detectable a lot earlier and thus gives the patients the possibility to have a bigger survival rate.
The total number of oral cancer cases has doubled over the last ten years and the death rate is increasing. That is caused by the above mentioned risk factors that are not taken seriously and also by the fact that people do not have the habit of going to the dentist regularly for an oral cancer screeing and that is why the cancer is diagnosed in 75% of the cases in a late stage that turns into metastatic cancer right away.
The funny thing is that at least 30% of all these deaths could be avoided. If the cancer patients had come to the dentist for an early check-up they would now be alive. That is why I think there needs to be a really big and wide awareness campaign where people can find out what to do to prevent this disease and also methods of decreasing the risk factors.
The first step you need to do for increasing your chances of not getting oral cancer is giving up smoking and drinking and getting a healthy diet and way of life. Then you must find a close clinic where to have these regular check-ups, one that is in your area, for example Louisville , Co oral cancer screening centers for those living here. Read the list with the ones you find and pick the one you like best and set up an appointment. Do not miss it, as it may save your life. You will also find some more details about oral cancer there.
I googled it a bit and I found some useful web sites for those looking for Louisville , Co oral cancer screening centers, so you'd better follow these links: www.healthprofs.com, www.healthgrades.com 1, www.healthgrades.com 2, www.medicinenet.com, www.avistahospital.org, www.facebook.com and www.oralcancerfoundation.org