Role of Radiation Treatment for Oral Cavity Tumours
Early stage carcinomas of the oral cavity are usually treated with an operation. Patients with advanced oral cavity cancers are usually treated with surgery followed by postoperative radiation therapy. Some patients with cancer of the mouth are also treated with radiotherapy alone (if they have early disease) or with combinations of radiotherapy and chemotherapy given at the same time if the tumour is extensive at the primary site or cannot be removed.
Indications
Post-operative radiation therapy is given in cases of close margins, extension of the cancer in beyond the lymph node capsule, perineural invasion, vascular space invasion, and multiple lymph nodes involved with cancer.
Benefits
Radiotherapy after surgery improves the chances of locally controlling the cancer.
How to Make a Referral
Patients may be referred to one of the radiation oncologists in the Site Group either through the departmental referral process or by contacting one of the physicians directly.
This page was last updated August 18th, 2010 at 7:47am.