Treatment Options For Oral Cavity And Oropharyngeal Cancer By Stage

Oral cavity cancer begins in the mouth, and oropharyngeal cancer begins in the oropharynx. But what is oropharynx? Oropharynx lies behind the mouth, and it is a part of the throat. Most cancer tumours forming in the oropharynx are called squamous cell carcinoma cancer. Several other types of cancers are also formed. The types of cancers in the mouth and throat are categorised into three groups.

1. Benign Growths

The benign tumour is not cancer, and it does not spread or affects the tissues and surrounding body organs.

2. Precancerous Conditions

Such types of cancers start with harmless growth and later turn into cancer.

3. Cancer

The cancer tumour grows in the nearby tissues and spreads in the different body organs.

The type of mouth cancer treatment depends on where the tumour is present, and how much cancer has spread inside the mouth. The oral cavity and oropharyngeal have different parts, and each part is made up of a different cell. Therefore, different cancer can evolve in each different cell. Depending upon the cancer type, doctors offer suitable treatment. The treatment also depends on the cancer stages. Below is the treatment for mouth cancer and oropharynx cancer depending upon their stages.

Stage 0

Stage 0 cancer is carcinoma in situ. When the cancer is at Stage 0, it is on the surface layer of the mouth or oropharynx. It does not reach inside the deep layers of the tissues. Therefore, stage 0 mouth and oropharyngeal cancers can be treated with surgery. If not treated on time, the tumour can reach the deep layers of tissues and worsen. In surgery, tissues’ affected top layers are removed along with the normal cells’ edge.

Even after surgery, the carcinoma in situ cancer comes back and needs radiation therapy for the treatment. People having stage 0 or carcinoma in situ cancer survive without requiring any deep treatment.

Stage I And II

The mouth and oropharyngeal cancer in stage I and II can be cured with surgery and radiation therapy. Alternatively, the combination of chemotherapy and radiation called chemoradiation is also the best treatment for stage I and II of mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.

• Lip

When the cancer is relatively small, and it can be removed, the doctors perform surgery. They also prefer radiation as their first treatment before performing surgery. If the tumour is not obliterated with radiation, surgery is required.

• Oral Cavity

When the cancer is present in front of the tongue, the floor of the mouth, and inside the cheeks, gums, and hard palate, surgery is the only option. For people who can’t undergo surgery due to health issues, radiation therapy is also preferred.

• Oropharynx

For oropharynx cancer, radiation therapy is the primary treatment. If a person requires to remove lymph nodes from the neck, surgery is the immediate treatment.

Stage III And IVA

• Oral Cavity

When the stage III and IVA oral cavity cancer reaches the floor of the mouth, inside the gums, cheeks, hard palate, and the front of the tongue, the tumour might have spread in the surrounding healthy tissues and in the lymph nodes. Such a bigger and worse cancer is treated using radiation and surgery. Usually, surgery is an immediate treatment for stage III and IVA oral cavity cancer.

• Oropharyngeal

Oropharyngeal cancer in its stage III and IVA spreads in the surrounding organs, tissues and lymph nodes. Chemoradiation is the primary treatment given for a larger cancer growing in the back of the tongue, soft palate, and tonsils. For some people, cetuximab and radiation are prefered for the treatment.

Stage IVB ANd IVC

Stage IVB and IVC are more dangerous and life-threatening cancer stages. These stages are referred to as HPV-negative cancers. HPV-negative cancer spreads into the surrounding structures, lymph nodes, and tissues. Stage IVC cancer spreads into body organs, like lungs. Such severe cancer is usually treated with cetuximab, chemo, or the combination of both. Alternatively, doctors sometimes go for immunotherapy or immunotherapy with chemo. Radiation can be used for getting relief from symptoms and new health issues.

Conclusion

Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre is one of the best cancer centres, offering superior quality treatment for mouth cancer and oropharyngeal cancer. There is a team of specialists and experienced doctors for treating oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer.