Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee VA Medical Center is offering free oral cancer screenings to all veterans on April 30. These screenings do not require appointments and will be available from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Matousek Auditorium, located at 5000 W. National Ave., Milwaukee. Veterans do not need to be eligible for VA health care or dental care to participate, and Milwaukee VA employees are also welcome.

The screening process lasts approximately 15 minutes and includes an examination both inside the mouth and the areas outside of the head and neck. Experts in dietary habits, nutrition, and lifestyle will be present, along with tobacco cessation counselors.

“We’ll be looking for any signs of oral cancer, skin cancer or anything out of the ordinary,” stated Dr. Kandice Klepper, a periodontist at the Milwaukee VA. “We’re teaming up with other departments to help identify risk factors and provide more information to participants.”

Dr. Klepper highlighted that veterans are generally at a higher risk of developing oral cancer compared to the general population, mainly due to increased usage of tobacco and alcohol, which are considered significant risk factors. Additionally, infectious diseases such as HPV and excessive sun exposure are also contributors to oral cancer.

This event marks the second annual screening. The previous year, more than 100 veterans and staff were examined, with several screenings flagging issues that required further investigation.

As per the Oral Cancer Foundation, about 58,500 Americans are projected to receive a diagnosis of oral oropharyngeal cancer this year, with the disease resulting in over 12,250 deaths, equating to roughly one death per hour.

“While incidence of oral cancer is rising, so too are survival numbers,” Klepper noted. “We want to do whatever we can to have an earlier diagnosis, which leads to better treatment outcomes.”