UAMS to Offer Free Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Screening April 21
| LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will offer free oral, head and neck cancer screenings from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April 21 on the sixth floor of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
Screenings are noninvasive, take about 10 minutes and are conducted by the UAMS Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery under the direction of surgical oncologist Mauricio Moreno, M.D., and resident physician Juliana Bonilla Velez, M.D.
To make an appointment, call (501) 603-1212 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 17-20. Walk-ins are welcome but may experience a short wait. Free parking is available in Parking Deck 3, located at Cedar Street and Capitol Avenue.
Oral, head and neck cancers include those that arise in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, thyroid glands, salivary glands, throat or larynx (voice box). In 2017, there will be an estimated 106,540 new cases of cancer of the thyroid, oral cavity and pharynx cancers in the United States, and approximately 11,710 deaths from these cancers.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) has recently emerged as a leading cause of tonsil and base of tongue cancer, particularly in nonsmokers and younger age groups. While the majority of all head and neck cancers are linked to tobacco and alcohol use, more than half of tonsil and base of tongue cancers are linked to HPV.
Signs and symptoms of oral, head and neck cancer include sores in the mouth that do not go away, a growth or swelling in the neck, persistent sore throat, trouble swallowing or voice changes.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###