The appearance of early symptoms of oral cancer can make it incredibly difficult to detect. With signs of oral cancer often mistaken for mouth ulcers and other common oral health issues, it often goes unnoticed by both patients and clinicians until it has reached stages III and IV. With more than 744,000 cases each year worldwide and less than a 50% five-year survival rate when detected in its later stages, it's crucial that clinicians raise awareness of oral cancer.

Early detection can save lives. When oral cancer is detected at stages I and II, five-year survival rates improve to around 90%.1

In order to detect mouth cancer as early as possible, it's vital to know the signs, and look into anything you suspect is unusual. The early signs include ulcers, white patches, red patches, lumps in the lip, mouth, or neck, and unexplained pain.1 Because clinicians may only rarely see oral cancer, it might be difficult to notice these as potential signs, mistaking them for other, more common issues like oral abscesses, paraesthesia, and trauma.

Because the early signs can be difficult to recognise as oral cancer, it can be incredibly helpful to utilise a pre-diagnostic test to establish a patient's level of risk. The BeVigilantTM OraFusionTM device analyses a patient's saliva to identify the presence of biomarkers associated with oral cancer. The test in non-invasive, requiring a sample of a patient's saliva to determine whether biomarker levels are elevated. Clinicians can easily use the device during ordinary check-ups to offer peace of mind if they notice something unusual.

The BeVigilantTM OraFusionTM device is very convenient, producing a result in 15 minutes or less. It calculates the level of risk of oral cancer by combining the patient's risk factors along with a saliva sample - producing a result of high, moderate, or low. This enables clinicians to be supported by an accurate pre-diagnostic test in their decision making.

Further to this, the device is easy to use, adding a simple step to your ordinary oral cancer checks for peace of mind and the security afforded by an advanced pre-diagnostic test, superseding other tests such as toluidine blue staining, for example. Additionally, the device is patient friendly as it's non-invasive, requiring only a saliva sample. By using the results of the test along with their clinicial knowledge, practitioners can then refer patients for a tissue biopsy if oral cancer is suspected.

As the early signs of oral cancer can be hard to identify, some practitioners may choose to monitor patients' symptoms over time. Whilst this may seem sensible for some conditions, when it comes to oral cancer, the earlier it's identified, diagnosed, and treated the better. By undertaking a pre-diagnostic test using the BeVigilantTM OraFusionTM device, clinicians can refer patients for further tests with confidence. Its accurate results offer a basis for further investigation, as quickly as possible, rather than motoring until it has reached its later stages, allowing patients to receive treatment more quickly.

Improve results for patients

By enabling patients to access the care they need as quickly as possible, clinicians are able to improve survival rates for oral cancer. This also means the need for more extensive and invasive treatment is reduced, helping to improve patients' quality of life.

In addition to carrying out pre-diagnostic tests using the BeVigilantTM OraFusionTM device even when visible lesions are not present, it's important to educate patients about the early signs and the risk factors for mouth cancer. Raising awareness about the condition can help patients be more informed about their own health, and when they should seek professional help. This also means recommending patients who smoke and use tobacco products quit, and those who drink alcohol limit their intake to help reduce their risk for mouth cancer.

Utilising this easy to use and patient friendly device can offer yourself and your patient peace of mind in 15 minutes or less.

For more information, please visitwww.vigilantbiosciences.comor email info@vigilantbiosciences.com.