Actor and producer Michael Douglas will create a television public service announcement (PSA) to encourage regular oral cancer screenings for the non-profit organization Oral Cancer Foundation.
The Oral Cancer Foundation is dedicated to helping people affected by the disease. About 40,000 people in the US will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer in 2012. The ads hope to educate the public about the need for annual screenings to detect oral cancers in the most survivable stages. The ads will begin airing in June and will air nationwide through summer and autumn.
Caught early, oral cancer is treatable. Michael Douglas went for medical help in 2010 after a persistent sore throat sent to doctors who found on the base of his tongue. It turned out to be stage IV squamous cell carcinoma oral cancer. Douglas received radiation and chemotherapy treatments and is now cancer free and in good health.
“The Foundation is indebted to Michael Douglas for partnering with us in the battle against oral cancer,” said OCF Founder and Executive Director Brian Hill, who is a survivor of the same cancer Mr. Douglas had. “Michael is a highly visible, well known actor, and a consummate professional. Those qualities, when coupled with his personal cancer experience, yield a respected voice to this fight. His willingness right from the beginning of his journey, to openly talk about his difficult personal experience with oral cancer on TV and in print, has certainly created awareness in the public of a cancer too few have even heard of. That impact will be multiplied through this partnership with the foundation, and translate into increased early recognition of problems, avoidance of risk factors, and participation in annual opportunistic screenings by the public. His involvement will create a tipping point that will ultimately save lives.”
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