You Have Oral Cancer. Now What?

If you are diagnosed with oral cancer, your medical team will recommend a treatment plan.
If you are diagnosed with oral cancer, your medical team will recommend a treatment plan.
An oral cancer diagnosis can come as tragic news for you and your family. But it is important to remember that the doctors you will be working with are experts at controlling the spread of cancer.

Once diagnosed, you will have many decisions to make. Since you will need to make these decisions while you are still emotionally accepting your diagnosis, it will be helpful if you are familiar with some (not all) of your options.

Surgery
Some forms of oral cancer require surgery in order to remove the tumor from the mouth or throat. If the cancer cells have spread, other tissue may need to be removed as well.

Radiation
There are two ways to use high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells:

  • External radiation uses a machine to send radiation through the patient’s skin to the tumor.
  • Internal radiation involves implanting a radioactive substance into or near the cancer via a wire, catheter or other route.

Chemotherapy
Using medications to eradicate cancer cells or stop them from multiplying is known as chemotherapy. These medications can be taken by mouth, given intravenously or injected into a muscle.

Adjuvant Treatment
Your doctor may suggest that you receive more than one type of treatment to beat oral cancer. For instance, after surgery, you may have radiation or chemotherapy to destroy traces of cancer that were not completely removed. This is considered adjuvant treatment.

As mentioned, these are the most common options, but they may not be your only options. Make sure to discuss your treatment choices with your doctor. He or she will be able to give you a better understanding of the next steps in your journey.

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Leah Martinez
Leah Martinez serves as a social media analyst for Delta Dental of Arizona. In college at the University of New Mexico, Leah took the path of no return and majored in Chemistry with healthcare on her mind. After learning direct patient care was not her forte, she landed a job as the advertising manager at University of New Mexico's college newspaper “The Daily Lobo.” It was this job that turned her on to her skills in digital marketing. Since joining Delta Dental in 2012, Leah found her niche, as the constant education and learning in social media brings out the true geek in her. In her spare time, Leah enjoys snowboarding, snowmobiling and riding dirt bikes. (Did we mention she's based in Colorado?) [Editor's Note: Leah is no longer a current DD employee.]