Yul Brynner
Foundation kicks off oral, head and neck Cancer
Awareness Week
Public Urged to Attend
Free Screenings on Friday, April 20
/PRNewswire/ -- The Yul
Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation (YBF)
urges Americans to get screened for cancer
during the 2007 Oral, Head and Neck Cancer
Awareness Week (OHANCAW), April 16-22. The week
is highlighted by a nationwide day of free
screenings at more than 150 medical centers on
Friday, April 20.
For more information and to
find a screening site near you log onto
http://www.headandneck.org/. According to
the American Cancer Society, this year more than
40,000 Americans will be diagnosed with cancers
of the head and neck - which include cancers of
the oral cavity, larynx and pharynx - and 7,550
will die.
"When diagnosed very early,
oral and other head and neck cancers can be more
easily treated without significant
complications, and the chances of survival
greatly increase," said Terry Day, M.D.,
President of the Yul Brynner Head and Neck
Cancer Foundation (YBF), Associate Professor,
Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck
Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina,
and Director, Division of Head & Neck Oncologic
Surgery, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical
University of South Carolina.
"However, many
Americans do not recognize the symptoms of
these cancers, which makes screening very
important, especially for those who are at
high risk, such as tobacco and alcohol
users."
According to Dr. Day, there
has recently been an increasing incidence of
some of these cancers in young adults who do not
smoke and some researchers have revealed an
association with human papillomavirus (HPV).
About OHNC
Oral, head and neck cancer
(OHNC) refers to a variety of cancers that
develop in the head and neck region, such as the
oral cavity (mouth); the pharynx (throat);
paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity; the larynx
(voice box); thyroid and salivary glands; the
skin of the face and neck; and the lymph nodes
in the neck. Common warning signs of OHNC are:
- Red or white patch in
the mouth that lasts more than two weeks
- Change in voice or
hoarseness that lasts more than two weeks
- Sore throat that does
not subside
- Pain or swelling in
the mouth or neck that does not subside
- Lump in the neck
Other warning signs that occur during later stages of the disease include:
- Ear pain
- Difficulty speaking or swallowing
- Difficulty breathing
The most effective
prevention strategy remains the cessation of
risky behaviors such as smoking, use of chewing
tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption. More
than 85 percent of head and neck cancers are
related totobacco use, while others may have a
relationship to viral causes such as HPV and
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV).
About the Yul Brynner Head
and Neck Cancer Foundation
The mission of the Yul
Brynner Foundation is to provide support to head
and neck cancer patients throughout the year;
educate children and adults about the disease
process, treatment, and prevention of head and
neck cancer; and support ongoing research in
head and neck oncology.
The Foundation was
established by the late, award-winning actor Yul
Brynner, after he was successfully treated for a
pre-malignant growth on his voice box. For more
information, please call 1-843-792-6624 or visit
the Yul Brynner Foundation at
www.headandneck.org.
