Many factors affect choosing a treatment or treatments, such as stage of the cancer, age of the patient and overall health. Talk to your doctor about the best possible treatment options for your specific case. Radiation therapy and surgery are the most prevalent treatments, but chemotherapy also is used.
Radiation therapy kills cancer cells with intense x-rays aimed only at the cancerous growth. An apparatus emits radiation from outside the patient's body, or radioactive materials can be placed internally to the targeted area. Side effects from radiation therapy of the head and neck include nausea, loss of taste and appetite, weight loss, earaches, irritation in the mouth, thickened saliva, dry mouth, a stiff jaw and changes in the texture of the skin.
Surgery removes the cancer and surrounding tissue in the oral or oropharyngeal cavity. If necessary, the surgeon can remove tumors in the lymphatic system of the neck. Surgery can alter the patient's facial appearance or the ability to chew, talk or swallow. Swelling of the face and neck is normal for the weeks immediately following the procedure. Lymph node removal may result in a prolonged period of swelling.
Chemotherapy is often combined with other treatments. For head and neck cancer, it involves the injection of anticancer drugs into the bloodstream. These drugs kill cells that are growing rapidly, thus noncancerous cells can be killed as well. Side effects vary by type of drug but in general, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, sores on the mouth and the lips and a lower resistance to infection are expected. Newer biological treatments that target the cancer cells directly, or their ability to spread, are now being used. There is hope they will help patients in the near future.
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