The latest medical literature came to a consensus regarding the efficacy of usual screening programs for early identification and treatment of head and neck cancers. The main limitation of all the screening programs offered in various clinics or any type of medical setup is the fact that they are not effectively reaching the high-risk profile of populations.
Let’s suppose that we are organizing a head and neck cancer screening in our clinic. A certain number of patients will take advantage and come for undergoing medical check-up and investigations offered in the program. But we need to agree, in this category of patients there are mostly health-conscious people, who are implementing already a certain degree of healthy lifestyle, most of them non-smokers, well-educated and aware of most possible symptoms of head and neck cancers. Therefore, the screening would not reach its target because it’s not addressed to the right profile of high-risk patients.
This is the main reason for MediSense Clinic to take the initiative of moving the program for head and neck cancer screening outside our clinic setup, closer to those categories of population more exposed to risk factors: male adults above 40 years old, smokers, people who are exposed to environmental or occupational inhalants like asbestos, wood dust, paint fumes, certain chemicals, prolonged sun exposure, etc.
This year the Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week will be marked from 3rd to 9th April 2022. MediSense Clinic is joining the global effort for early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions through a series of awareness programs, offered on companies’ sites throughout the whole month of April:
- Evaluation of risk-factors through specific dedicated questionaries
- Throat cancer screening through ENT consultation, including flexible endoscopy for pharyngo-laryngeal evaluation
- Education about causes of throat cancers, most important symptoms, and methods of prevention
- Smoking cessation counselling
At the end of this on-site evaluation, all participating patients will receive a detailed medical report containing all relevant information. In case of any abnormal findings, patients will be notified and invited for more investigations in our clinic’s premises.
Our motivation for implementing this screening program is the huge difference in overall survival for patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer in the initial stages comparing with advanced stages.
Early diagnosis and correct treatment are essential for both survival and the quality of life of these patients, as well as prevention through medical education of high-risk categories of patients.
Together we can make a difference!
Dr. Carmen Chiran
ENT Specialist MD, PhD