|
I'm new to the Oral Cancer Foundation Forum, however, certainly not new to oral/oropharyngeal cancer. I'm here with permission from the Oral Cancer Foundation and serve on the OCF Advisory Board. My reason for being here is to learn from you, to be a voice for future oral cancer patients and most of all to ignite a fire under my professional community, being dentistry, to do all they can to discover head and neck and oral cancer in its earliest stages. My professional life has been dedicated to this cause for 2 decades. My personal life has been impacted by having a cousin diagnosed with Stage IV HPV-tonsillar cancer over a decade ago and more recently, another family member with laryngeal cancer. When I started speaking specifically about HPV-related cancer back 15 years ago, it was new and unfamiliar to the dental community and the public at large. Now, as you all know, it is something we here about each and every day. You are the heroes. I am simply the messenger. Anything you wish me to share to get this message driven home to the dental community will be a gift to our profession. My sincere thank you in advance for sharing as you feel comfortable doing so.
| 
