CanadaNews’ Reporter Notes

Something interesting in the world of oral healthcare is going on with HumanaDental Insurance Co. HumanaDental is part of the Humana Specialty Benefits family of supplemental benefits offered by Humana Inc. HumanaDental will provide oral-cancer screening to HumanaDental members that are enrolled in the company’s fully insured dental plans. The participants have to be 40 years old or older.

Oral Cancer is a killer; a silent killer. When people think about their health, many very rarely give oral care the respect it deserves. The problem here is more than 34,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer annually. Every year oral cancer will result in over 8,000 deaths. Statistically, it kills roughly 1 person per hour. Of those 34,000 newly diagnosed individuals, only half will be alive in 5 years.

HumanaDental wants to try to save lives because the death numbers with oral cancer has not significantly improved in decades. The death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of cancers which we hear about routinely such as cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, laryngeal cancer, cancer of the testes, endocrine system cancers such as thyroid, or skin cancer (malignant melanoma).

The death rate associated with this cancer is particularly high not because it is hard to discover or diagnose, but due to the cancer being routinely discovered late in its development. Often it is only discovered when the cancer has metastasized to another location, most likely the lymph nodes of the neck.

People don’t take illnesses in the mouth as seriously as they should. That cavity will stop hurting eventually, or that sore will go away eventually. That’s what you can expect to hear from people. Prognosis at this stage of discovery is significantly worse than when it is caught in a localized intra oral area. Besides the metastasis, at these later stages, the primary tumor has had time to invade deep into local structures. Oral cancer is particularly dangerous because in its early stages it may not be noticed by the patient, as it can frequently prosper without producing pain or symptoms they might readily recognize, and because it has a high risk of producing second, primary tumors. This means that patients who survive a first encounter with the disease, have up to a 20 times higher risk of developing a second cancer. This heightened risk factor can last for 5 to 10 years after the first occurrence. There are several types of oral cancers, but around 90% are squamous cell carcinomas.

Mark Matzke, chief operating officer, HumanaDental said, “Because early detection is the key to fighting this disease, we’re pleased to offer this coverage as part of our commitment to promoting oral health, which is directly linked to overall health.”

HumanaDental will be using the cancer screening procedure carried out by “ViziLite® Plus with TBlue⁶³⁰.” The good news is the procedure is simple, quick, pain-free and effective. This new preventive care by HumanaDental began on April 1.

An annual ViziLite Plus exam will follow after a conventional visual examination. HumanaDental believe this represents an integral part of comprehensive oral-cancer screenings. On the positive side, the screenings help dentists detect oral cancer in its early stages, as well as precancerous tissue. After the patient rinses with a special solution, the dentist examines the mouth with a disposable light stick. Under the light, abnormal tissue appears bright white; the dentist marks it with a temporary dye called TBlue⁶³⁰.

A recently published clinical study revealed that using ViziLite Plus with TBlue⁶³⁰ detected 100 percent of cancers and lesions at highest risk of becoming cancer. Oral cancer is found primarily in tobacco users or heavy drinkers, but new research shows a common strain of the sexually transmitted HPV virus also accounts for a significant percentage of all oral cancer cases in the U.S.

ViziLite Plus with TBlue⁶³⁰ is a product of Zila Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ZILA); more information is available at www.vizilite.com. To learn more about oral cancer, visit www.oralcancerfoundation.org. Worldwide the problem is much greater, with over 400,000 new cases being found each year. Statistics on worldwide occurrence

About HumanaDental

HumanaDental Insurance Company is one of the nation’s ten largest U.S. dental insurers. HumanaDental’s product portfolio features options to meet any employer’s benefit and budget needs. HumanaDental’s dentist network – now topping 106,000 dentist locations – enables members and their families to benefit from negotiated discounts by choosing in-network dentists.

HumanaDental markets and administers dental insurance plans under the license names HumanaDental Insurance Company, Employers Health Insurance Company, The Dental Concern Inc., and The Dental Concern, Ltd. More information on HumanaDental is available online at www.humanadental.com.