Great letter Charm!

After reading all the comments to this post and the many that focused on inaccurate and contradictory information between the 2 CR articles and other publications, this really turned into an educational and worthwhile discussion. A special thank you to Charm, Klo/Kathy, and Caco for doing the additional research on this topic!

In Brian�s post, he asked �So what is our collective opinion about what we should do? Mass letter writing, or something more public? Who should we enlist as our strategic partners?�

In my opinion, some of each would be warranted. OCF and its many volunteers have worked so hard to get the word out about oral cancer and the need for early detection via a simple exam at your dentist�s or doctor�s office. And this one article in long established and respected magazine can undo all the good we�ve done and in the process cost someone their life! (Ok, maybe a little dramatic, but unfortunately so true!) One statistic I often quote is that �in the United States, one person dies from oral cancer every hour of every day�. In addition, approximately 42,000 people in the US will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer in 2013. Worldwide the problem is far greater, with new cases annually exceeding 640,000.

I will definitely be sending a letter to the editor at CR and will �borrow� some of Charm�s letter to do so (he is a much better writer than I am!).

I think an �official� response from OCF to CR would be warranted also. A public press release is a great idea and besides discussing the inaccuracies in the CR article can note that �Oral Cancer Awareness Month� is coming up in April. And get those strategic partners in the picture also!