Stony Brook Southampton Hospital will provide free in-person cancer screening for head and neck cancer patients this week.
The complimentary screenings, which will be offered by appointment only on Thursday at the Phillips Family Cancer Center, could help diagnose speech and swallowing disorders and offer potential treatments.
Dr. John Amato, the director of the Center for Speech, Swallowing, and Voice Disorders, and a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the hospital, will conduct the screenings between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, an estimated 65,000 people, including 48,000 men and 17,000 women, will develop oral, head, or neck cancer this year. Fifty percent of those diagnosed with such cancers will experience swallowing difficulties, or dysphagia. In some cases, patients might also experience speech disorders as a result of treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy.
Symptoms that require medical attention include needing to swallow many times to clear food from your mouth and throat, having a gurgling, wet-sounding voice after swallowing, throat clearing while eating, coughing or choking, experiencing pain while swallowing, or having dry mouth or throat.
For those who have been diagnosed with oral, head, or neck cancers and who are experiencing any of these symptoms, Dr. Amato and Lauren Richard-Holt, a licensed social worker, will also provide support programming through a virtual support group. It begins on Sept. 15 and after that will take place every third Tuesday of each month.
Registration is by calling 631-638-7773 or emailing [email protected]. The cancer center is at 740 County Road 39A in Southampton.
