Chemotherapy for oral and maxillofacial tumors: an update

Surgery is the primary intervention in oral and maxillofacial tumors and under ideal circumstances is curative. There is no evidence to support the use of induction or adjuvant chemotherapy in initial therapy of early stage tumors. Locally advanced tumors, non-resectable tumors as well as recurrence in early stage disease, need a multi-modality therapeutic approach involving chemotherapy. Palliative chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment patients with metastatic oral and maxillofacial tumors. Chemotherapy and targeted agents plays an important role in the treatment of patients with rare oral and maxillofacial tumors such as sarcomas, lymphomas, and giant cell tumors.