Dr. Mullaney’s Blog

Our technologically advanced Velscope is best known for it’s ability to assist in the discovery of oral cancer and precancerous lesions.  Every hour of every day in America someone dies of oral cancer.  The disease claims over twice as many lives as cervical cancer.  Unlike most types of cancer, the number of new cases of oral cancer has not declined materially in the past three decades. Oral cancer’s high mortality rate is due to the fact that the disease is usually discovered in late stages. When discovered early the survival rate is between 80-90%.

The Velscope system is the first adjunctive device cleared by the FDA to help clinicians see cancerous and precancerous lesions that might not be visible to the naked eye. The Velscope hand piece emits a safe blue light into the oral cavity, causing tissue to become fluorescent from the surface to the basement of the membrane. The special optical filtering in the hand piece allows the clinician to immediately view the different fluorescence signatures from the oral tissue to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue. Abnormal tissue typically appears as irregular, dark areas that stand against the otherwise normal green fluoresce pattern surrounding healthy tissue. This exam takes only 2-3 minutes.

We are happy to offer our patients this technology in their preventive exams. If you have further questions about the Velscope feel free to ask Dr. Mullaney on your next visit to the office.

Information referenced from Velscope

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.
While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3-4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.
Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable misture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from heat until evenly browned. Top casserole dish with parsley and serve.
Serves 4