Last Tuesday I went to the dentist to get me routine check up and dental cleaning. You might be asking yourself why on earth am I blogging about my dentist visit, but trust me it has to do with cancer! Amazingly, after checking for cavities (which I did not have), the nurse pulled out a laser, she called Velscope. She told me it was a fluorescent light that tells her if there are any abnormal growths or cancer cells in the patients mouth. I was amazed that such technology existed and decided to research more about Velscope and oral Cancer itself.
According to Velscope's website, about 36,540 American's were diagnosed with either oral cavity or pharynx cancers in 2010. About 7,880 Americans died of oral cancers in 2010. Also the survival rate of oral cancer is a lot higher when localized in comparison to when it has regionalized or worse yet localized. The fluorescent blue light that comes out of the Vescope is 100% safe and excites the natural fluorophores. A fluorophore is part of the molecule which absorbs light and causes the cell to fluoresce. The Velscope provides a contrast between normal and abnormal cells by blocking the reflected blue light and allowing the visualization of fluorescent light. The light is shinned on the surface of the epithelial tissues which causes it to fluoresce and change to a darker, more noticeable color. If an abnormal growth is detected, then further studies are made accordingly. If the abnormality was found in its early stages then the chances of survival increase.
This test takes about two minutes and the machine is very simple to use. Surprisingly there are only about 6,000 dentists using this technology worldwide. Hopefully more dentists will seek this new technology in order to examine and detect abnormal growths in their patients before it is too late; thus, saving more lives and adding another form of Cancer prevention in todays Cancer filled world. The one thing I wondered after hearing about the Velscope is wether there were other machines that detected other forms of Cancer. Not surprisingly, the Velscope has relatives:
Laser for Veins: Which detects metastasizing tumors in the circulatory system.
Electronic Nose: Which detects cancer tissues based on scent (Amazing).
Canon's Breast Cancer Detector: Laser and ultrasonic wave technology that detects breast cancer.
.... and many more.
Today in 2012, the human races is inventing new technology to detect and fight many different types of Cancer. I wonder what the battle against Cancer will be like in 28 years.
