Oral Cancer Awareness Foundation — OrCA — is a non-profit entity dedicated to the prevention and early detection of oral cancer.

Our cause is three-fold:
1.) The motivation of dentists, doctors and healthcare professionals to do the appropriate, annual oral cancer screenings necessary for their patients — thus improving the outcomes of those diagnosed.

2.) The education of the public, as well as professionals, in the use and application of various early detection devices that are expected to decrease the morbidity and mortality rates of these individuals.

3.) The support of those diagnosed, along with their family and loved ones, by providing a clearinghouse of detection and treatment information which is updated regularly.

The statistics are staggering. In 2009, an estimated 35,720 adults (25,240 men and 10,480 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with oral and oropharyngeal cancer. It is estimated that 7,600 deaths (5,240 men and 2,360 women) from the disease will occur this year.* And oral cancer incidence continues to rise. Why the increase in oral cancers? Recent studies point to exposure to the HPV-16 and 18 viruses — the same viruses that causes the majority of cervical cancers in women.

*American Society of Clinical Oncology