The surgical management of oral cancer

Oral cavity cancers represent an area of head and neck oncology with some unique and interesting management themes. In spite of a significant paradigm shift in the treatment of many head and neck cancers toward us-ing primary chemoradiation, this treatment is not frequently applied to the oral cavity. Small cancers of the oral cavity are usually managed by surgery alone. Larger cancers are usually treated with primary surgery followed by chemoradiation. Neck treatment is offered to patients who have a greater than 20% chance of having lymph node metastasis or who have neck disease at the time of presentation. Neck treatment may involve surgery, radiation therapy, or both. Reconstruction of surgical defects of the oral cavity runs the gamut of techniques from the most simple to the most complex three-dimensional microvascular composite flaps. A multidisciplinary setting with a tumor board and multiple supportive services provides the best care for patients who have advanced-stage cancers.