Cancer of the base of the tongue and the pharynx is a form of oral cancer, which will kill an estimated 7,880 people in the United States in 2010, according to the National Cancer Institute. Squamous cell carcinoma develops from mutations to the epithelial cells that line the pharynx and cover the tongue, eventually causing the formation of a tumor. This form of oral cancer is commonly treated with drug therapy, which seeks to damage or kill cancer cells to stop oral cancer growth.
Cisplatin
A possible drug used to treat squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx and the base of the tongue is cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug. The American Head & Neck Society lists cisplatin as an effective treatment for head and neck cancers, a broad group of cancer that include carcinoma of the pharynx and tongue. Cisplatin works by creating DNA cross-links, which interfere with the proper processing of DNA. When exposed to cisplatin, cells cannot unwind and replicate their DNA. Since this DNA replication is an essential step in cell division, squamous cell carcinoma cells treated with cisplatin can no longer divide, and eventually die due to DNA damage. Cisplatin may be administered on its own, or as part of a drug cocktail to treat squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx and tongue.
5-Fluorouracil
5-fluorouracil belongs to a class of drugs known as anti-metabolites because it interferes will the squamous cell carcinoma's ability to create chemicals required to sustain life. ChemoCare.com explains that 5-fluorouracil works by inhibiting pyriminidine synthesis--meaning that it prevents the cell from creating the chemicals that make up a part of DNA. Without the ability to make these chemicals, the carcinoma cell can no longer replicate its DNA, and therefore can no longer divide, stopping squamous cell carcinoma growth and eventually leading to tumor shrinkage.
Ifosfamide
The American Head & Neck Society indicates that many patients with squamous cell caricnoma of the pharynx and the base of the tongue may also receive ifosfamide to help treat their cancer. According to the BC Cancer Agency, ifosfamide is a pro-drug--it is ingested in an inactive form, then converted to an active drug within the liver. Upon activation, ifosfamide acts as an alkylating agent, adding small chemcials called alkyl groups to the components of DNA, leading to DNA damage. The damage renders the squamous cell carcinoma unable to grow and eventually leads to cell death, shrinking the carcinoma. Like other chemotherapy drugs, ifosfamide may be administered on its own or in combination with other cancer drugs to treat oral cancer.
