Froedtert's Clinical Cancer Center offering free head and neck cancer screening on Wednesday

Milwaukee, Wis. (CBS 58) – Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin will host a free head and neck cancer screening to detect cancers of the mouth, tongue, neck, vocal cords, sinuses, tonsils and salivary glands. According to the American Cancer Society, head and neck cancer affects more than 52,000 people nationwide every year.

To spread awareness of the disease and encourage people to get screened, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin clinical staff will provide free screenings on Wednesday, April 11, from 4-6 p.m. at Froedtert & MCW Clinical Cancer Center, located on the Froedtert Hospital campus. Walk-ins are welcome; registration is encouraged. Please call (414) 805-3666 to register.

Some early warning signs of head and neck cancer include but are not limited to: pain when swallowing, pain in the neck or throat that doesn’t go away, difficulty chewing, swallowing or moving tongue, changes in voice or a lump in the neck. The cancer is highly curable if found early.

People should consider screening if they have risk factors of tobacco use, alcohol use, exposure to HPV (human papillomaviruses) or unexplained and lingering symptoms. The information gathered at the screening will be forwarded to physicians to assess further treatment.