Lori Hamilton, wife of the late NASCAR racing legend Bobby Hamilton, is urging Americans to get screened for cancer during the 2008 Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (OHANCAW), April 21-27. The week is highlighted by free screenings at more than 150 medical centers nationwide.

Bobby Hamilton, the 2004 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and a four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner, died in January 2007 from complications of head and neck cancer at the age of 49. According to the American Cancer Society, this year more than 40,000 Americans will be diagnosed with cancers of the head and neck - which include cancers of the oral cavity, larynx and pharynx - and 7,550 will die.

"When Bobby was diagnosed he immediately became an advocate of early detection of head and neck cancer," said Lori Hamilton. "He asked everyone around him to get tested, promoted it to anyone who would listen and became a huge believer in the screening process. It doesn't hurt, is free and the 10 minutes it takes to do it could save your life. So we are encouraging everyone to please take advantage of this free screening opportunity."

For more information and to find a screening site near you log onto www.OHANCAW.com.

"When diagnosed very early, oral and other head and neck cancers can be more easily treated without significant complications, and the chances of survival greatly increase," said Steven Roser, D.M.D., M.D, DeLos Professor and Chief, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta and Medical Director of the Georgia Chapter of the Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation. "However, many Americans do not recognize the symptoms of these cancers, which makes screening very important, especially for those who are at high risk, such as tobacco and alcohol users."

There has recently been an increasing incidence of some of these cancers in young adults who do not smoke and some researchers have revealed an association with oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, due possibly to an increase in oral sex among young people.