Oral Cavity Tumors

Abstract

Oral cavity and pharynx cancers account for 2.9% of all cancers in the United States. The most common sites of oral cavity cancer are the oral tongue and floor of the mouth. There are over 45,000 new cases of oral cavity and pharynx cancers diagnosed each year, with over 8500 deaths annually [1]. Known risk factors for oral cavity cancer include tobacco and alcohol use, infection with human papillomavirus, and chewing of betel nut leaves. Oral cavity cancers are often initially managed surgically, followed by radiation ± chemotherapy. Locoregionally advanced oral cavity cancers are treated with a combination of surgery and RT ± chemotherapy, due to the high risk of local recurrence compared to other head and neck squamous cell carcinoma sites [2]. Risk factors for recurrence of oral cavity cancers include the presence of extracapsular nodal spread, positive resection margins, N2 or N3 nodal disease, perineural invasion, and vascular invasion [3, 4].