Free oral cancer screening to be May 17

Dentists with East Carolina University will conduct free screenings for oral cancer Tuesday, May 17, before the ECU-Old Dominion baseball game at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

Dental chairs will be set up outside the stadium. Screenings will be from 4:45-5:45 p.m. No appointment is necessary. Patients will be seen on a walk-in basis. The screenings are free, painless and take about 10 minutes.

Oral, head and neck cancers claim approximately 12,000 lives per year, according to the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance. Many Americans do not recognize the symptoms of these life-threatening diseases, which include cancers of the oral cavity, larynx and pharynx, and by the time they are diagnosed, for some, it’s too late.

The event is sponsored by the UNC Cancer Network, Cancer Services at Pitt County Memorial Hospital and the Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center.

May 8-14 is Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week. For more information about oral, head and neck cancers, visit http://www.OHANCAW.com.

For more information about the event, call Michelle Sagraves at 252-744-5544.