Stage II Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer
Small Lesions of the Lip
Small Anterior Tongue Lesions
Small Lesions of the Buccal Mucosa
Small Lesions of the Floor of the Mouth
Small Lesions of the Lower Gingiva
Small Tumors of the Retromolar Trigone
Small Lesions of the Upper Gingiva and Hard Palate
Current Clinical Trials
Surgery and/or radiation therapy may be used, depending on the exact site.[1]
Small Lesions of the Lip
Standard treatment options:
- Surgery is used for smaller T2 lesions on the lower lip if simple closure
produces an acceptable cosmetic result.
- If a reconstructive surgical procedure is required, radiation therapy has
the advantage of producing a relatively better functional and cosmetic result
with intact skin and muscle innervation.
- Radiation therapy may include external-beam and/or interstitial techniques
as appropriate.
Small Anterior Tongue Lesions
Standard treatment options:
- Radiation therapy is usually selected for T2 lesions that have minimal
infiltration to preserve speech and swallowing. Surgery is reserved for
patients for whom radiation treatment failed. Neck dissection may be
considered when primary brachytherapy is used.[2]
- Deeply infiltrative lesions are best treated by surgery, radiation therapy,
or a combination of both.
Small Lesions of the Buccal Mucosa
Standard treatment options:
- Small T2 lesions (≤3 cm) are usually treated by radiation
therapy.
- Large T2 lesions (>3 cm) may be treated by surgery, radiation
therapy, or a combination of these, if indicated. Radiation therapy is often used if the lesion involves the commissure. Surgery is often used if tumor
invades the mandible or maxilla.
Small Lesions of the Floor of the Mouth
Standard treatment options:
- For small T2 lesions (≤3 cm), surgery is often used if the lesion
is attached to the periosteum, whereas radiation therapy is often used if the
lesion encroaches on the tongue.
- For large T2 lesions (>3 cm), surgery and radiation therapy are
alternative methods of treatment, the choice of which depends primarily on the
expected extent of disability from surgery.
- External-beam radiation therapy with or without interstitial radiation therapy should be
considered postoperatively for larger lesions.
Small Lesions of the Lower Gingiva
Standard treatment options:
- Small lesions may be treated by intraoral resection with or without a rim
resection of bone and repaired with a split-thickness skin graft.
- Radiation therapy may be used for small lesions, but results are generally
better after surgery alone.
Small Tumors of the Retromolar Trigone
Standard treatment options:
- For early lesions without detectable bone invasion, limited resection of the
mandible is performed.
- If limited resection is not feasible, radiation therapy may be used
initially with surgery reserved for radiation failure.
Small Lesions of the Upper Gingiva and Hard Palate
Standard treatment options:
- Most lesions are treated by surgical resection with postoperative radiation
therapy as appropriate.
A small study showed that radiation therapy may be used effectively as the sole treatment modality.[3]
Current Clinical Trials
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage II lip and oral cavity cancer. The list of clinical trials can be further narrowed by location, drug, intervention, and other criteria.
General information about clinical trials is also available from the NCI Web site.
References
-
Harrison LB, Sessions RB, Hong WK, eds.: Head and Neck Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott-Raven, 1999.
-
Pernot M, Malissard L, Aletti P, et al.: Iridium-192 brachytherapy in the management of 147 T2N0 oral tongue carcinomas treated with irradiation alone: comparison of two treatment techniques. Radiother Oncol 23 (4): 223-8, 1992.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
Yorozu A, Sykes AJ, Slevin NJ: Carcinoma of the hard palate treated with radiotherapy: a retrospective review of 31 cases. Oral Oncol 37 (6): 493-7, 2001.
[PUBMED Abstract]
Back to Top
< Previous Section | Next Section > |