Dr. Robert Pechara says taking another 30 seconds when doing the procedure could detect cancer cells early.
A Kingston physician is hoping to make things easier to swallow for patients with suspected throat cancer.
Dr. Robert Pechara, a Gastroenterologist with Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Queen's University, recently performed the first endoscopic detection and removal of an early hypopharyngeal cancer in North America.
Pechara says an additional 30 seconds is all it takes for a more in-depth look inside the back of the throat.
The hypopharynx is not often examined during upper endoscopy and many early stages of cancers go unnoticed. Pechara says if doctors can take that extra time, chances on detecting that cancer would greatly improve.
He explains one of the biggest challenges is that symptoms often do not appear until the cancer is advanced.
Pechara was able to learn more about endoscopy while he was training in Japan during a sabbatical. Doctors there have been using endoscopy to find and treat early cancers for years.
He says hypopharyngeal cancer is not common in North America, but the number of cases is slowly increasing.
Bechara is appreciative of KHSC and Queen's for their support as he continues to find ways to improve the live of people.
Story by Ken Hashizume
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