Course Description:

Close to 37,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year. It will cause over 8,000 deaths, killing roughly one person per hour, 24 hours a day. Of those newly diagnosed individuals, only slightly more than half will be alive in five years (around 57%). Most oral cancers could be prevented if people did not use tobacco or drink heavily. Quitting tobacco and limiting alcohol use sharply reduces any risk of developing oral cancer, even after years of use. Many oral cancers can be detected early through a combination of routine screenings by a doctor or dentist, or by self-examination.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the transmission, pathogenesis and natural history of HPV.
• Recognize the clinical manifestations of HPB infection
• Explain the link between HPV and oropharyngeal cancer.

About The Presenter

Dr. Alexis Koskan, PhD, and Seena Patel, DMD, MPH