Penn Dental Medicine to Host 7th Annual Oral Cancer Walk and 5K

WHO:             Penn Dental Medicine

                       University of Pennsylvania

WHAT:           Philadelphia Oral Cancer Walk and 5K

WHEN:           Saturday, March 28

                       Oral Cancer Walk

                       Registration: 7-8:30 a.m. / Start: 8:30 a.m.

                       Dental cancer screenings: 8 a.m.-noon

WHERE:         Walk and run begin at Penn Park, 30th and Walnut streets

                       Cancer screenings held at Penn Dental Medicine, 240 S. 40th St.

April is Oral Cancer Awareness month, putting a spotlight on a disease that is more prevalent than some better-known types of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, more than twice as many people will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year as will receive diagnoses of brain cancer or ovarian cancer.

This Saturday, March 28, Penn Dental Medicine students and faculty will host the 7th annual Philadelphia Oral Cancer Walk and 5K in an effort to raise awareness about the disease, both for health-care professionals and the general public. Proceeds will go to the Oral Cancer Foundation.

The event kicks off with a walk and run, both of which start at 8:30 a.m. at Penn Park and end at Penn Dental Medicine. Throughout the morning, dental students and faculty members are volunteering to provide free oral cancer screenings at Penn’s Schattner Center.

In addition, at 9:30 a.m., a keynote speech from a cancer survivor, who was treated at Penn Dental Medicine, will bring a personal face to the disease.

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