This year, the Oral Cancer Foundation estimates that more than 48,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal (throat) cancer. Oral cancer will be to blame for more than 9,500 deaths, and the death rate for this cancer is greater than that for cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and endocrine system cancers such as thyroid cancer. Unfortunately, oral cancer is often fatal not because it is hard to diagnose, but because it is diagnosed too late. That’s why Dr. Utz and his staff make a point of conducting an oral cancer screening for Bowling Green patients at each one of their regularly scheduled checkups.

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