Oral cancer treatment may include surgery, radiation
therapy, or
chemotherapy. Some patients have a combination of treatments.
At any stage of disease, people with oral cancer may
have treatment to control pain and other symptoms, to relieve the side effects
of therapy, and to ease emotional and practical problems. This kind of treatment
is called supportive care, symptom management, or palliative care. Information about
supportive care is available on NCI's Web site at http://cancer.gov and from
NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER.
You may want to talk to the doctor about taking part in
a clinical trial, a
research study of new treatment methods. The section on "The Promise of Cancer
Research" has more information about clinical trials.
Surgery
Surgery to remove the tumor in the mouth or throat is a
common treatment for oral cancer. Sometimes the surgeon also removes lymph nodes in the neck. Other
tissues in the mouth and neck may be removed as well. Patients may have surgery
alone or in combination with radiation therapy.
You may want to ask the doctor these questions before having surgery:
What kind of operation do you recommend for me?
Do I need any lymph nodes removed? Why?
How will I feel after the operation? How long
will I be in the hospital?
What are the risks of surgery?
Will I have trouble speaking, swallowing, or
eating?
Where will the scars be? What will they look
like?
Will I have any long-term effects?
Will I look different?
Will I need reconstructive or plastic surgery?
When can that be done?
Will I lose my teeth? Can they be replaced? How
soon?
Will I need to see a specialist for help with
my speech?
When can I get back to my normal activities?
How often will I need checkups?
Would a clinical trial be appropriate for me?
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy (also called
radiotherapy) is a type of local therapy. It
affects cells only in the treated area. Radiation therapy is used alone for
small tumors or for patients who cannot have surgery. It may be used before
surgery to kill cancer cells and shrink the tumor. It also may be used after
surgery to destroy cancer cells that may remain in the area.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Doctors use
two types of radiation therapy to treat oral cancer:
External radiation: The
radiation comes from a machine. Patients go to the hospital or clinic once or
twice a day, generally 5 days a week for several weeks.
Internal radiation (implant radiation): The radiation comes from radioactive material placed in seeds,
needles, or thin plastic tubes
put directly in the tissue. The patient stays in the hospital. The implants
remain in place for several days. Usually they are removed before the
patient goes home.
Some people with oral cancer have both kinds of radiation therapy.
You may want to ask the doctor these questions before having radiation
therapy:
Which type of radiation therapy do you
recommend for me? Why do I need this treatment?
When will the treatments begin? When will they
end?
Should I see my dentist before I start
treatment? If I need dental treatment, how much time does my mouth need
to heal before radiation therapy starts?
What are the risks and side effects of this
treatment? What can I do about them?
How will I feel during therapy?
What can I do to take care of myself during
therapy?
How will my mouth and face look afterward?
Are there any long-term effects?
Can I continue my normal activities?
Will I need a special diet? For how long?
How often will I need checkups?
Would a clinical trial be
appropriate for me?
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells.
It is called systemic therapy because it enters the bloodstream and can affect cancer cells
throughout the body.
Chemotherapy is usually given by injection. It may be given in an
outpatient part of the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home. Rarely,
a hospital stay may be needed.
You may want to ask the doctor these questions before having
chemotherapy:
Why do I need this treatment?
Which drug or drugs will I have?
How do the drugs work?
Should I see my dentist before I start
chemotherapy? If I need dental treatment, how much time does my mouth
need to heal before the chemotherapy begins?
What are the expected benefits of the
treatment?
What are the risks and possible side effects of
treatment? What can I do about them?
There are a variety of diseases and conditions that can cause tongue problems, discoloration, and soreness. Though most tongue problems are not serious. Conditions such as leukoplakia, oral thrush, and oral lichen planus may cause a white tongue while Kawasaki syndrome, scarlet fever, and geographic tongue may cause the tongue to appear red. A black hairy tongue may be caused by overgrown papillae on the tongue. Canker sores, smoking, and trauma may cause soreness of the tongue.
Alcoholism is a disease that includes alcohol craving and continued drinking despite repeated alcohol-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law.
Toothache usually refers to pain around the teeth or jaws. In most instances, toothaches are caused by tooth or jaw problems, such as a dental cavity, a cracked tooth, an exposed tooth root, gum disease, disease of the jaw joint (TMJ), or spasms of the muscles used for chewing. A toothache can also be caused by a problem that does not originate from a tooth or the jaw, like diseases of the heart (angina or heart attack), ear infections, and sinus infections. A thorough oral examination, which includes dental X-rays, can help determine the cause.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. HPV is primarily transmitted by sexual contact. While some people develop warts in the genital region after infection, others experience no symptoms. Though genital warts can be removed, there is no cure for HPV infection. There is a vaccine to prevent infection from four common HPV types.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Smoking is an addiction. More than 430,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. from smoking related illnesses. Secondhand smoke or "passive smoke" also harm family members, coworkers, and others around smokers. There are a number of techniques available to assist people who want to quit smoking.
The HPV virus (genital warts) in men can cause health problems. Genital warts are confined primarily to the moist skin of the genitals or around the anus. Genital warts are caused by the human papillomaviruses (HPVs), which are transmitted through sexual contact.
Head and neck cancer is cancer of the oral cavity, salivary glands, paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, or lymph nodes in the upper part of the neck. These cancers account for 3% to 5% of cancers in the U.S. Tobacco and alcohol use are important risk factors. Treatment may involve surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy.
Leukoplakia is a white or gray patch that develops on the tongue or inside the cheek. Causes of Leukoplakia may include irritation from rough teeth fillings or crowns, chronic smoking, sun exposure to the lips, or HIV or AIDS.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
Smokeless tobacco can have negative health effects such as cancers, poor oral health (gum disease and tooth decay), infertility, pregnancy complications, and nicotine addiction.
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