04/13/15
We Are Offering Free Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Screenings in April
Winchester, MA – In recognition of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month in April, The Center for Healthy Living at Winchester Hospital is partnering with area doctors to offer free oral, head and neck cancer screenings to the public.
The screenings will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14 and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15. All screenings will take place at Winchester Hospital’s Center for Cancer Care, 620 Washington St., Winchester.
Oral, head and neck cancers begin in the oral cavity, nasal cavity, sinuses, thyroid glands, salivary glands, throat or larynx. According to the American Cancer Society, cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, throat and thyroid are expected to contribute to more than 100,000 new cancer cases this year.
According to the National Cancer Institute, tobacco (including chewing tobacco) and alcohol use are risk factors for oral, head and neck cancers. People who use both tobacco and alcohol have a greater risk for developing these cancers than those who use neither or only one. While the majority of oral, head and neck cancers are linked to tobacco and alcohol use, more than half of the cancer of the oropharynx cases (cancer of the tonsils and the base of the tongue) are linked to Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV can be spread through oral sex, and as a result, cancers of the oropharynx are increasingly affecting younger people and/or nonsmokers.
There are a few early signs and symptoms associated with oral, head and neck cancers that should be brought to your doctor’s attention, such as a red or white spot in your mouth that doesn't heal or that increases in size, a sore throat, a swollen tonsil, changes in your voice, a lump in your neck, an earache or difficulty swallowing.
To register for an oral, head and neck cancer screening, call The Center for Healthy Living at Winchester Hospital at 781.756.4720.
About Winchester Hospital
Winchester Hospital, a member of Lahey Health, is the first hospital in Massachusetts to earn Magnet recognition, the American Nurses Association’s highest honor for nursing excellence, three times. As the northwest suburban Boston area’s leading provider of comprehensive health care services, the 229-bed facility provides care in general, bariatric and vascular surgery, orthopedics, pediatrics, cardiology, pulmonary medicine, oncology, gastroenterology, rehabilitation, radiation oncology, pain management, obstetrics/gynecology and a Level IIB Special Care Nursery. Winchester Hospital has clinical affiliations with several nationally recognized hospitals in the region, including Boston Children’s Hospital, Tufts Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. To learn more, visit www.winchesterhospital.org.