UPMC to Offer Free Head and Neck Cancer Screenings Thursday, April 24, 2008
PITTSBURGH, April 14, 2008 – UPMC will hold free head and neck cancer screenings from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Thursday, April 24 at the UPMC Eye and Ear Institute’s third floor clinic, 203 Lothrop St., Oakland. UPMC is one of 150 sites nationwide to offer these yearly screenings in recognition of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.
“When diagnosed early, oral and other head and neck cancers are more likely to be easily and successfully treated, which greatly increases the chances of survival,” said Stephen Lai, MD, PhD, head and neck cancer surgeon in UPMC’s Department of Otolaryngology and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “Since symptoms of these cancers often go unrecognized, screenings are extremely important, especially for those at high risk.”
Risk factors for head and neck cancers include regular use of tobacco and alcohol. In addition, young adults have become increasingly at risk, which, according to some researchers, is associated with oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
For more information about UPMC’s free head and neck cancer screenings, please call (412) 647-2100.
About Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week:Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, sponsored by the Yul Brynner Foundation, a subsidiary of the Alliance for Head and Neck Cancer, is intended to educate the public about potentially life-threatening, but highly treatable oral, head and neck cancers, and to promote prevention, screening and early detection. To learn more about oral, head and neck cancers, visit www.OHANCAW.com.
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