Oral cancer screening in less than two minutes

Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, with approximately 500,000 new cases diagnosed each year. If detected in the first stage, the chances of survival are more than 90 percent. During routine exams for oral cancers, early lesions often aren’t visible to the naked eye, and they may go undetected until advanced stages. 

Goccles^® (Glasses for Oral Cancer – Curing Light Exposed) is an effective and easy-to-use oral screening device that can detect cancerous and precancerous lesions in the early stages before they’re visible to the naked eye. Developed by Pierrel, an Italian company, Goccles was introduced in the United States in 2018 and is transforming the oral screening process

 “With Goccles, you can do a simple, noninvasive and painless exam of the oral cavity and identify early lesions clearly and accurately,” says Tanya Brown, DMD, a dental consultant and speaker who has been in private practice in Chesapeake, Va., for 19 years.
Goccles^® (Glasses for Oral Cancer – Curing Light Exposed) is an effective and easy-to-use oral screening device that can detect cancerous and precancerous lesions in the early stages before they’re visible to the naked eye. Developed by Pierrel, an Italian company, Goccles was introduced in the United States in 2018 and is transforming the oral screening process.

Related reading: Raising awareness about HPV-linked oropharyngeal cancer

Featuring a special set of eyewear equipped with innovative optical filters, Goccles is used in conjunction with a common dental curing light. When the oral mucosa is illuminated, the special patented filter enables the observation of the fluorescence of healthy mucosa and distinguishes suspicious lesions, which will appear as dark areas on a green background. The process is noninvasive, painless and can be completed in one to two minutes.

“The biggest advantage of Goccles versus other oral screening devices is ease of use,” Dr. Brown says. “You simply put on the Goccles glasses and use a common curing light to examine the patient’s mouth. No extra equipment is needed, so the initial investment is small, and it can be used by any team member who knows how to use a curing light.”

According to Dr. Brown, the mouth is the perfect breeding ground for cancer.“The human mouth is a warm, moist environment for rapid and continual cell growth, which increases the potential for uncontrolled cell growth and cancer. The longer oral cancer goes undetected, the more aggressive it can be.”

Risk factors for oral cancer include smoking, tobacco use, alcohol intake and, more recently, the human papilloma virus (HPV). “Some of the new research is showing the impact of the strains of the HPV virus that cause oral cancer,” Dr. Brown says. “We are seeing this more and more in younger patients.”  

Routine oral cancer screenings are usually done every six months, or more often if the patient is at a higher risk. “When screening for oral cancers, dentists will do a visual exam and palpations, feeling under the tongue, lymph nodes and tissues,” Dr. Brown says. “It can be years before a precancerous or cancerous lesion is identified. With Goccles, we have identified more patients for early cancer screenings and have found a handful of patients who actually had oral cancer.”

During the last five to 10 years, a focus on the early detection of oral cancer has become more prevalent. “This is the first line of defense in screening,” Dr. Brown says. “In combination with a visual exam, any dentist equipped with a curing light can use Goccles to perform a low-cost, auto-fluorescence examination to promote early detection.”

*In April 2019, Pierrel Pharma S.r.l received the 2019 Edison Best New Product Silver Award for the Goccles^® Early Oral Cancer Screening Device.