Oral cavity cancer: Diagnosis and treatment

A comprehensive history, thorough head and neck physical examination, and adequate staging are critical to guide optimal locoregional treatment and evaluate for second primaries in patients with oral cavity cancer. A multidisciplinary approach-including head and neck surgery, radiation and medical oncology, pathology, radiology, nursing, dentistry, dietary, speech, and social work-is paramount for optimal management. Early-stage disease is typically treated with surgery alone, but in certain circumstances radiotherapy alone is preferred. Locally advanced disease is generally managed with upfront surgery and postoperative radiotherapy, with concomitant chemotherapy reserved for high-risk features such as positive surgical margins and extranodal extension.