BOISE, Idaho — In honor of Oral Cancer Awareness Month in April, local surgeons with Whitewater Oral Surgery are offering free cancer screenings this week. The surgery group is offering the screenings on Thursday afternoon at both their Boise and Twin Falls offices.
The new initiative is known as Always April and hopes to remind the community of the importance of regular screenings as the best way to catch oral cancer in its early stages. Health experts say death rates for oral and throat cancers have increased in recent years, often due to late detection.
"The thing about oral cancer is it's pretty silent," said Eric Nelson, Whitewater surgery physician. "For a long time, you don't know that you have it until it's progressed quite extensively, so the cancer screening is to look for signs of the beginnings of oral cancer; white patches in the mouth, ulcers that don't heal, irritations, growths."
No preparation is required for the screening as the oral professional will just examine the inside of your mouth. Click here to schedule an appointment at either the Boise or Twin Falls location.
