Cancer is a horrible disease. Unfortunately, it's also one we know all too well in the Tri-State. According to 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Indiana ranks seventh in the entire nation for cancer death rates with just over 162 people out of every 100,000 dying from some form of cancer. For our neighbors south of the Ohio River in Kentucky, that number jumps to a more grim 177 people per 100,000 making them the number one state in the country with the highest cancer death rate. That's why it's important to visit your doctor for regular check-ups, especially if you notice something is a little off.

Deaconess Gateway Offering Free Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Screenings

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While there is currently no cure for cancer, early detection can increase the life expectancy of someone diagnosed with cancer as doctors can begin a treatment program to slow the spread and kill cancer cells through radiation and chemotherapy.

The Chancellor Center for Oncology at Deaconess Gateway Hospital at the corner of Highway 66 and Epworth Road in Warrick County will be offering free cancer screenings on Thursday, April 28th (2022) focusing specifically on any signs that may indicate oral cancer or one that targets the head or neck.

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What Happens During a Head and Neck Cancer Screening

Like any cancer, lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking, and unhealthy eating, along with family history play important roles in the likelihood you could develop cancer. Even if you don't smoke or drink, and you eat healthily more times than not, that doesn't mean you aren't at risk for cancer. We should all take advantage of the free screenings being offered by Deaconess regardless of our lifestyle. The video below from a doctor at the Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois walks you through the process of what happens during a routine screening.

How to Schedule Your Screening

Appointments are required in order to be screened at the Chancellor Center on April 28th and can be scheduled online through Deaconess' website or by calling 812-450-7000.

[Sources: CDC / Deaconess]

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