NEW ORAL CANCER SCREENING DEVICE ENHANCES EARLY DETECTION:

The VELscope System is a revolutionary hand-held device that helps with early detection of abnormal tissue. The technology was developed by the British Columbia Cancer Agency in collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center, with funding provided in part by the NIH. It is based on the direct visualization of tissue fluorescence and the changes in fluorescence that occur when abnormalities are present. The handpiece emits a safe blue light into the oral cavity, which excites the tissue from the surface of the epithelium through to the basement membrane and into the stroma beneath, causing it to fluoresce. The dentist is then able to view the different fluorescence responses to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue. Abnormal tissue typically appears as an irregular, dark area that stands out against the otherwise normal, green fluorescence pattern of surrounding healthy tissue. (source .VELscope Oral Cancer Screening System Web Site )

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