04/10/12
Winchester Hospital Offers Free Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Screenings in April
Winchester Hospital’s Community Health Institute is offering free cancer screenings for the community in recognition of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week in April.
Physicians from the Winchester Hospital community will be volunteering to screen people for oral, head and neck cancer at Winchester Hospital’s Center for Cancer Care, 620 Washington St. in Winchester on Tuesday, April 24 from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, April 25 from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m.; and Thursday April 26 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Educational materials will be provided. Registration is required by calling the Community Health Institute at (781) 756-4700.
According to the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, 50,000 cases of oral, head and neck cancer are diagnosed annually in the U.S. The sixth most common form of cancer, it can form in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, thyroid glands, salivary glands, throat or larynx (voice box).
Symptoms may include:
- A mouth sore that doesn’t heal or increases in size
- Persistent mouth pain
- Lumps or white, red or dark patches inside the mouth
- Thickening of the cheek
- Difficulty chewing or swallowing or moving your tongue
- Difficulty moving your jaw, or swelling or pain in your jaw
- Soreness in your throat or feeling that something is caught in your throat
- Pain around your teeth or loosening of your teeth
- Numbness of your tongue or elsewhere in your mouth
- Changes in your voice
- A lump in your neck
- Bad breath
Eighty-five percent of head and neck cancers are linked to tobacco use. Over the past decade, however, an increasing number of young non-smokers have developed mouth and throat cancer associated with the human papillomavirus, or HPV.
About Winchester Hospital’s Community Health Institute
Winchester Hospital’s Community Health Institute is committed to helping community members take responsibility for their health and well-being by offering the education and resources that change lives. Established in 1996, the Community Health Institute provides more than 30 programs and services throughout the year, with offerings in disease management, childbirth, integrative therapies, fitness, yoga, Tai Chi/Qi Gong, CPR and first aid, weight management, career services and support groups. The institute is also home to two retail services: A Caring Place, which features wigs, bras, prostheses and head coverings for women living with cancer; and the Lactation Center Boutique, which offers the highest-quality breastfeeding supplies and support. Unless otherwise indicated within the program’s description, for more information or to register, please call the Community Health Institute at (781) 756-4700 or visit www.winchesterhospital.org.