- By Dental Care with a Difference
- Around Town
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Mortality rates associated with oral cancer have remained unchanged for over 30 years, partly due to the limitations of white light examination of the oral mucosa. This has created a dire need for an improved oral mucosal screening procedure that would make it possible for clinicians to accurately identify tissue changes at and below the surface before they become apparent under white light examination.
In response to such a need, the Vancouver-based company LED Medical Diagnostics Inc. (LED-MD) has developed the VELScope System in partnership with the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA). It is a technology platform based on the direct visualization of human tissue fluorescence and the changes in fluorescence that occur when abnormal tissue is present.The VELScope is a ground-breaking technology, which detects oral cancer at early stages, even before it is readily visible to the naked eye. The hand-held portable device can detect changes in the mouth that would otherwise be invisible.
“If there are changes in the oral tissue, such as a precancerous or malignant change, we will see a loss of fluorescence and the area will appear dark, in fact a shadow will appear in the area of inspection” says Dr. John Comisi, a dentist in Ithaca, NY whose “Dental Care with a Difference”® dental practice has been serving the Tompkins County community for over 22 years.
“It is undeniable, when a dark area presents when I am looking through the VELScope, I know something is wrong, and we need to treat it as soon as possible.” Dr. Comisi states.
“Our ability to detect the disease process in its earliest stages means that we can control the disease, and make the survival rate increase exponentially. I know that what I am doing is saving lives”
Dr. Comisi, who himself is a cancer survivor, knows first hand that early detection is important. The early detection of his cancer is what saved his life, he believes. “When I read the early research data on this device, and then had a chance to work with it in Denver last month, I knew that the VELScope had to be used in my office.”
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