Treatment for mouth cancer

Mouth cancer (also called oral cancer) is a type of head and neck cancer. People with head and neck cancer are usually treated in specialist centres. 

A team of specialist healthcare professionals will meet to discuss the best possible treatment for you. This is called a multidisciplinary team.

Your cancer doctor or specialist nurse will explain the different treatments and any possible short and long-term side effects. They will also talk to you about things to consider when making treatment decisions before you agree (consent) to have treatment.

Your treatment options will depend on the stage and grade of the cancer, as well as your general health.

You may only need one type of treatment. But sometimes 2 or more treatments are given.

We understand that having treatment can be a difficult time for people. We're here to support you. If you want to talk, you can:

• Call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00.
• Chat to our specialists online.
• Visit our head and neck cancer forum to talk with people who have been affected by head and neck cancer, share your experience, and ask an expert your questions.

Surgery is the main treatment for early-stage mouth cancer and often the only treatment needed to remove it. How the surgeon removes the cancer depends on its size and where it is in the mouth. They remove the cancer and a small area (margin) of normal tissue all around the tumour.

The surgeon may also remove some lymph nodes from the neck if they are affected. This is called a neck dissection. The aim is to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.

Some people need a larger operation. They may need to have part of the jawbone or tongue removed. The surgeon may use tissue, skin (called a flap), or bone taken from somewhere else in the body to rebuild these areas. This is called reconstructive surgery. If you need to have this, your doctor will explain what they will do in your situation.

The main aim of surgery is to remove the cancer completely, but your surgeon will also be careful to minimise any possible effects to your speech, swallowing or facial appearance.

Depending on your operation, you may need to have a feeding tube put in before or during surgery. It can usually be removed once you are able to swallow. It may be used if you are having more intense treatment. If you are likely to need this, your team will discuss it with you before your operation.

We have more information about recovering from head and neck surgery.

Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be used:

• before surgery or radiotherapy, to shrink mouth cancer and make it easier to treat
• at the same time as radiotherapy (chemoradiation)
• to treat mouth cancer that has spread or come back after previous treatment.

The chemotherapy drugs most often used to treat mouth cancer are cisplatin and fluorouracil (5FU). These are usually given into a vein (intravenously). Chemotherapy is not usually used to treat lip cancer.

Targeted therapy drugs work by targeting something in or around the cancer cell that is helping it grow and survive. The drug aims to stop the cancer cells growing and dividing. It can also make the cancer more sensitive to the effects of radiotherapy.

Cetuximab is the most commonly used targeted therapy to treat mouth cancer. It may be used if cancer has spread to surrounding tissue or to other parts of the body, or if someone is not able to have chemotherapy. Or you might have cetuximab with radiotherapy if you cannot have chemoradiation.

You may also have it with chemotherapy to treat cancer that has spread, or has come back after treatment.