Oral surgeons and the VELscope system: Partners in early detection & diagnosis

ORAL CANCER: A GROWING THREAT TO ALL ADULTS

Oral cancer is one of the few types of cancer that has not decreased in incidence over the past several decades. The reason: Numerous studies suggest that oral cancer is now caused by the sexually-transmitted human papilloma virus, or HPV. This means that virtually every adult is now at risk for oral cancer, and that more and more patients will be receiving regular oral cancer exams.

This also means that oral surgeons will be having more patients referred to them for surgical biopsies, which can put an unfair burden on you. Why? Because oral cancer and precancer are often located beneath the surface and not visible to the naked eye. So exactly how are you supposed to know precisely which areas to biopsy?

A WAY TO SEE WHAT THE NAKED EYE CANNOT

Fortunately, the VELscope Oral Cancer Screening System is the first adjunctive device cleared by the FDA and Health Canada to help clinicians detect cancerous and precancerous lesions that might not be apparent to the naked eye. Furthermore, the VELscope is also cleared to help surgeons determine the appropriate surgical margin when excision is indicated.

This means that the VELscope can help you see all abnormal tissue that needs to be biopsied, even when it is lurking beneath the surface. This also means that unclear or inappropriate direction from a referring dentist is highly unlikely to result in an unnecessary biopsy of healthy tissue.

BACKED BY EXTENSIVE RESEARCH & REAL WORLD SUCCESS

The tissue fluorescence visualization science that is the foundation of VELscope's technology is backed by over $50 million in research funded by the NIH and other prestigious organizations. The VELscope device is used for more oral cancer exams than any adjunctive device in the world, with over 3 million such exams occurring in 2009 alone. Over 4,500 GPs, oral surgeons, periodontists and other specialists are using the VELscope system, and an impressive 92% say they would recommend it to a colleague.

We encourage you to explore the information provided on this site and elsewhere to learn more about how the VELscope system can support your efforts.

Your expertise and the VELscope's technology can form a powerful combination that will truly make earlier detection and diagnosis of oral cancer and precancer a reality.