Yale-New Haven Hospital, Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center will hold a free public screening for head and neck cancers. The free screenings will be held on Wednesday, April 23 on the Saint Raphael campus from 4-6 pm at the McGivney Center for Cancer Care and on Friday, April 25, from 9 am- 4 pm in the East Pavilion special events area at Yale-New Haven Hospital. The annual screening, called “Check up from the neck up,” is a simple, five-minute exam that can save lives.
More than 500,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with head and neck cancer, which can attack the nose, sinuses, mouth, ears, throat, larynx, thyroid, saliva glands and lymph nodes in the neck. Fifty percent of those diagnosed die within five years, making early detection essential.
Wendell G. Yarbrough, MD, director, head and neck disease center, Smilow Cancer Hospital and co-director, molecular virology program, Yale Cancer Center, urges people who have a history of these symptoms to be screened:
• Family or personal history of smoking
• Sore throat that persists for more than six weeks
• Hoarseness lasting longer than three weeks
• Presence of blood in their saliva or sputum
• Persistent ear pain
“This free screening is a great way to get a very quick, basic exam by an ENT physician,” said Dr. Yarbrough.
To register for the free screening, please call 203-688-2000; walk-ins are welcome.