Treatment Options
The most common treatment for oral cancer is surgery. Surgery involves the removal of the cancer in the mouth, as well as a neck dissection (removal of lymphatic tissues of the neck along with their associated fat). A neck dissection is performed for one of two reasons: (1) the presence of a lump in the neck is suspicious for cancer (therapeutic neck dissection) or (2) the surgeon needs to look for possible hidden neck disease (exploratory neck dissection).
One of the major advances in the care of oral cancer patients has been in the area of reconstruction. The gold standard at most major cancer centers is the reconstruction of complex defects with microvascular reconstructive techniques. Microvascular free flaps involve the transfer of distant skin, muscle and/or bone with their own blood vessels to reconstruct (recreate) the missing structures. This is a specialized and technically sophisticated surgery that allows patients to have improved function and a post-surgery appearance that may not be significantly changed from before the surgery.
What to Expect During and After Treatment
The typical hospitalization for these surgeries may be as short as a couple of days for patients who don't need microvascular reconstruction, or as long as a week for those who require microvascular reconstruction.
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