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Adjuvant Therapy for Patients with Oral Cavity Cancer

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Abstract

Locoregionally advanced oral cavity cancer is commonly treated using a combined modality approach in an effort to maximize tumor control. Radiotherapy, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy, is generally administered following surgery. Radiation doses on the order of 60 Gy are typically recommended post-operatively, although higher doses may be advisable in cases of extracapsular nodal extension or gross residual disease. Advances in radiation delivery techniques including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) have the potential to reduce normal tissue toxicities without compromising the likelihood of tumor control. The role of concomitant chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting has evolved considerably in the last 10 years, and its use has recently been validated for selected high-risk patients on the basis of two large multi-institutional randomized trials. Newer approaches include the evaluation of targeted agents, with the goal of preserving a beneficial effect with radiation while further diminishing treatment related side effects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 600 Highland Avenue, K4/336, Madison, WI, 53792, USA

    Paul M. Harari

Authors
  1. C. Wesley Hodge
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  2. Deepak Khuntia
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  3. Rafael Manon
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  4. Paul M. Harari
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul M. Harari .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. M D Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Holcombe Blvd. 1515, Houston, 77030-4009, U.S.A.

    Jeffrey Myers

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Hodge, C.W., Khuntia, D., Manon, R., Harari, P.M. (2009). Adjuvant Therapy for Patients with Oral Cavity Cancer. In: Myers, J. (eds) Oral Cancer Metastasis. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0775-2_6

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