April is Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month and Greenwich Hospital hosted a free cancer screening event.
Head and neck cancers are highly curable, but doctors are encouraging people to get checked early if they are experiencing symptoms. The cancer screenings are a free 5-minute check-up from the neck up.
If you are experiencing symptoms, you can book an appointment with an otolaryngologist, a medical specialist also known as an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor.
Doctor Richard Brauer is an ENT/ Head and Neck Surgeon at Greenwich Hospital and is encouraging people to get checked out if they are experiencing any of the warning signs, such as:
Lump in your neck.
Trouble swallowing.
Spitting up blood.
Change in voice.
If something in your mouth does not feel right, or if something has changed.
Brauer himself is a head and neck cancer survivor.
Doctor Sara Pai, a head and neck surgeon at Yale New Haven Hospital, also oversees The Smilow Cancer Hospital at Long Ridge Medical Center in Stamford.
The High-Risk Oral Premalignant Clinic offers personalized, multidisciplinary care for early cancer detection.
Future screenings will be taking place this month:
April 17 at Yale New Haven Hospital East Pavilion, Special Events Room, 20 York Street from 12 p.m to 4 p.m. For an appointment in New Haven, visit ynhhs.org/events and search ‘Head and Neck Cancer’ or call 833-346-3637.
April 27 at Smilow Cancer Hospital in Waterbury, Harold Leever Cancer Center, 1075 Chase Parkway, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. For an appointment in Waterbury, call 203-575-5585.
