1. Expect the Standard Set: Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiation
The term oral cancer is an umbrella category that includes many forms of cancer, including mouth, lip and throat cancer. While the direction of your treatment program will depend on which of these you have and the stage the cancer has reached, doctors almost always turn to surgical, chemical and radiation interventions first.
Surgery is the most invasive, but it also tends to be the most effective. Chemotherapy drugs target and destroy cancer cells, and radiation therapy is sometimes used on its own if you have a relatively small oral cancer tumor.
2. Use Tumor-Inhibiting Drugs
Unlike chemotherapy, ingiogenesis inhibitors are drugs that prevent the formation of new blood vessels rather than attack cancerous growths. Cancerous tumors need a steady supply of blood to continue spreading, and these drugs can stop tumors in their tracks by choking off blood flow to the tumor. You're most likely to be introduced to this class of drugs if you have a case of mouth cancer specifically in your oral cavity. So far, ingiogenesis inhibitors have only been approved to treat this particular form of cancer.
3. Reconstructive Surgery to Restore Your Appearance
Occasionally, your surgeon may have to cut into bone tissues or other fixed parts of your face to remove the cancerous growth. Should this happen, you'll be a candidate for reconstructive surgery. The aim of this treatment is to restore the way you looked before surgery to the greatest possible degree. If the surgery only created chewing or swallowing difficulties, it may be a minor procedure. On the other hand, if a doctor was forced to remove part of your jaw to stop the cancer tumor from spreading, it might be a major surgery.
4. Make Adjustments to a Different Way of Living
These treatments often come at a considerable price to you. Because of the vital bodily structures located in your mouth and throat, oral cancer treatments may interfere with your ability to eat, drink or speak. If you need help adjusting to a new lifestyle, you can work with a nutritionist or speech pathologist. These medical professionals specialize in helping post-surgical patients build new life skills or recover old ones, and their help will be essential to your recovery as you go forward.
