Surgery is typically the first-line treatment for oral cancers that are caught early. Other common treatments include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and targeted therapy. For this reason, treating oral cancer with a drug that targets EGFR may help kill cancer cells without harming normal tissues.
Targeted therapy may be used by itself or in combination with other therapies. Oral cancer and its treatment often cause side effects, including weight loss , fatigue , nausea , diarrhea and constipation. Supportive care services may help patients prevent or manage these symptoms. Oral cancer develops when cancer cells begin growing out of control in the mouth, which includes the lips, the inside lining of the lips and cheeks, the teeth, the gums, most of the tongue, the bottom of the mouth, and the bony roof of the mouth, or hard palate.
More than 90 percent of oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, meaning they form in the flat, thin squamous cells that line the mouth and throat.
Symptoms of oral cancer are commonly mistaken for other, less serious conditions, such as a toothache or mouth sore. If seemingly benign symptoms persist, however, you should call your doctor, who may recommend tests to check for oral cancer. A doctor or dentist may find some cancers or pre-cancers of the mouth during an exam, but most oral cancers are detected after the patient experiences signs or symptoms.
Diagnosing oral cancer may involve a physical exam, including a complete head and neck exam, biopsy and imaging tests. Almost all oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. The most common locations for cancer in the oral cavity are the tongue, tonsils, oropharynx throat , gums and floor of the mouth.
If you have a symptom of oral cancer that lasts longer than two weeks, consider requesting a diagnostic evaluation with an oncologist or otolaryngologist specifically trained in treating diseases of the mouth and throat. Oral cancer is more treatable when caught early. Oral cancer may be treated with one therapy or a combination of therapies, depending on where the cancer started and whether the disease has advanced.
Surgical procedures for oral cancer include:. For example, it may be possible to reconstruct the tongue by using tissues from other areas of the body.
Also, a tracheoesophageal puncture, or TEP, may be an option for patients who undergo a laryngectomy. With a TEP, the surgeon inserts a small, one-way valve between the trachea and the esophagus to help the patient.
A feeding tube is another option that may be recommended for patients who experience difficulty with eating and swallowing. There are ways to treat most chemo side effects. If you have side effects, tell your cancer care team so they can help. Targeted therapy drugs may be used to treat oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer.
These drugs affect mainly cancer cells and not normal cells in the body. These drugs have different side effects from chemo. Side effects of targeted drug therapy depend on which drug is used.
These drugs can make you feel sick to your stomach and cause low blood counts. They can also cause skin changes of the hands and feet.
These side effects usually go away after treatment ends. There are ways to treat most of the side effects caused by targeted therapy drugs. If you have side effects, talk to your cancer care team so they can help. Immunotherapy is treatment that either boosts your own immune system or uses man-made versions of parts of the immune system that attack the oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer cells. Immunotherapy drugs may be given into a vein. Immunotherapy can cause many different side effects depending on which drug is used.
These drugs may make you feel tired, sick to your stomach, or cause a rash. Most of these problems go away after treatment ends. There are ways to treat most of the side effects caused by immunotherapy. Clinical trials are research studies that test new drugs or other treatments in people. They compare standard treatments with others that may be better.
Clinical trials are one way to get the newest cancer treatment. They are the best way for doctors to find better ways to treat cancer. And if you do sign up for a clinical trial, you can always stop at any time. If you would like to be in a clinical trial, start by asking your doctor if your clinic or hospital conducts clinical trials. See Clinical Trials to learn more. When you have cancer you might hear about other ways to treat the cancer or treat your symptoms.
These may not always be standard medical treatments. These treatments may be vitamins, herbs, special diets, and other things. You may be curious about these treatments. Some of these are known to help, but many have not been tested.
Some have been shown not to help. A few have even been found to be harmful. For years after treatment ends, you will still have appointments with your cancer doctor. Be sure to go to all of these follow-up visits. You will have exams, blood tests, and maybe other tests to see if the cancer has come back.
Follow-up doctor visits after treatment may be needed as often as every few months for the first year, every 3 to 6 months during the 2nd year, and a little less often after that. Endoscopy exams, blood tests, dental exams, or imaging tests like MRI or CT scans may be done to look for signs of cancer or treatment side effects. Your doctor will tell you which tests should be done and how often based on the stage of your cancer and the type of treatment you had.
Having cancer and dealing with treatment can be hard, but it can also be a time to look at your life in new ways. You might be thinking about how to improve your health. Call us at or talk to your doctor to find out what you can do to feel better or to help you quit smoking. What you can change is how you live the rest of your life — making healthy choices and feeling as well as you can.
The NHS recommends you drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. If you drink as much as 14 units a week, it's best to spread it evenly over 3 or more days. Find out about how to cut down on alcohol. It's also important that you have regular dental check-ups. A dentist can often spot the early stages of mouth cancer.
Find out more about how to find an NHS dentist. The outlook for mouth cancer can vary depending on which part of your mouth is affected and whether it has spread from your mouth into surrounding tissue. The outlook is better for mouth cancer that affects the lip, tongue or oral cavity.
If mouth cancer is diagnosed early, a complete cure is often possible in up to 9 in 10 cases using surgery alone. If the cancer is larger, there's still a good chance of a cure, but surgery should be followed by radiotherapy or a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Overall, around 6 in 10 people with mouth cancer will live for at least 5 years after their diagnosis, and many will live much longer without the cancer returning.
Mouth cancer is a type of cancer that comes under the umbrella term "cancers of the head and neck". Page last reviewed: 14 October Next review due: 14 October Information: Coronavirus advice Get advice about coronavirus and cancer: Macmillan: Coronavirus guidance for people with cancer Cancer Research UK: Coronavirus and cancer.
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