Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer Treatment Option Overview

There are different types of treatment for people with lip and oral cavity cancer.

Different types of treatments are available for lip and oral cavity cancer. You and your cancer care team will work together to decide your treatment plan, which may include more than one type of treatment. Many factors will be considered, such as the stage of the cancer, your overall health, and your preferences. Your plan will include information about your cancer, the goals of treatment, your treatment options and the possible side effects, and the expected length of treatment.

Talking with your cancer care team before treatment begins about what to expect will be helpful. You'll want to learn what you need to do before treatment begins, how you'll feel while going through it, and what kind of help you will need. Learn more at Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Treatment.

People with lip and oral cavity cancer should have their treatment planned by a team of doctors who are expert in treating head and neck cancer.

An oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating people with cancer, oversees treatment for lip and oral cavity cancer. Because the lips and oral cavity are important for breathing, eating, and talking, you may need special help adjusting to the side effects of the cancer and its treatment. The oncologist may refer you to other health care providers who are experts in treating head and neck cancer and also specialize in other areas of medicine. Other specialists may include:

• head and neck surgeon
• radiation oncologist
• dentist
• speech therapist
• dietitian
• psychologist
• rehabilitation specialist
• plastic surgeon

The following types of treatment are used:

Surgery

Surgery (removing the cancer in an operation) is a common treatment for all stages of lip and oral cavity cancer. Surgery may include:

• Wide local excision is the removal of the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it. If cancer has spread into bone, surgery may include removal of the involved bone tissue.
• Neck dissection is the removal of lymph nodes and other tissues in the neck. This is done when cancer may have spread from the lip and oral cavity.
• Plastic surgery is an operation that restores or improves the appearance of parts of the body. Dental implants, a skin graft, or other plastic surgery may be needed to repair parts of the mouth, throat, or neck after removal of large tumors.

After the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called adjuvant therapy.

Learn more about Surgery to Treat Cancer.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing by damaging their DNA. External and internal radiation therapy are used to treat lip and oral cavity cancer:

• External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the area of the body with cancer.
• Internal radiation therapy (also called brachytherapy) uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer.

Radiation therapy may work better in patients who have stopped smoking before beginning treatment. It is also important for patients to have a dental exam before radiation therapy begins so that existing problems can be treated.

Learn more about Radiation Therapy to Treat Cancer and Radiation Therapy Side Effects.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy helps a person’s immune system fight cancer.  Your doctor may suggest biomarker tests to help predict your response to certain immunotherapy drugs. Learn more about Biomarker Testing for Cancer Treatment.

Immunotherapy drugs used to treat squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and oral cavity cancer that has come back or spread to other parts of the body include:

Learn more about Immunotherapy to Treat Cancer.

New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.

For some people, joining a clinical trial may be an option. There are different types of clinical trials for people with cancer. For example, a treatment trial tests new treatments or new ways of using existing treatments. Supportive care and palliative care trials look at ways to improve quality of life, especially for those who have side effects from cancer and its treatment.

You can use the clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting participants. This search allows you to filter trials based on the type of cancer, your age, and where the trials are being done. Clinical trials supported by other organizations can be found on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.

Learn the basics about clinical trials at Clinical Trials Information for Patients and Caregivers.

Follow-up care may be needed.

As you go through treatment, you will have follow-up tests or check-ups. Some tests that were done to diagnose or stage the cancer may be repeated to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests.

Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back).