Advances in oral cancer treatment, reconstruction

By Jennifer O'Hara

Oral cancer refers to cancers that originate in the mouth, tongue and back of the throat. Treatment options, which can vary based on the cancer's location and stage, include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The use of anatomic modeling and 3D printing have led to advances in surgical treatments for oral cancer.

"One of the advances that we've seen in the last 20 or 30 years in the treatment of head and neck cancers certainly has to do with the reconstruction," says Kevin Arce, M.D., D.M.D., an oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Mayo Clinic. "Often, we have to remove not only the cancer, but also the surrounding tissue that is normal. And to replace that can be quite challenging. We now have better abilities to reconstruct the structures that have been lost."

Dr. Arce explains advances in the treatment of head and neck cancers now allow surgeons to bring in tissues from different areas of the body and reconstruct a tongue or rebuild a jaw. And the anatomical lab and 3D printing allow surgeons to perform patient-specific reconstruction that helps maintain function.

"With these advancements, patients can obviously not only look the same, but speak and eat as they did prior to the surgery," says Dr. Arce. "At Mayo Clinic, we can do that all in house. We have a group of neuroradiologists and biomedical engineers who are a part of the institution, and we collaborate with them in these types of reconstructions."

Early detection of oral cancer can lead to better treatment options and outcomes. The two main risk factors are tobacco and alcohol use.

"Awareness of oral cancer is important," says Dr. Arce. "It's important to maintain that relationship with either your dentist or your primary care physician so they do at least an annual screen of the oral cavity to make sure that there is nothing unusual or a lesion that needs more attention."

Watch this "Mayo Clinic Q&A" podcast video to hear Dr. Arce discuss oral cancer treatment and prevention:

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A version of this article was originally published on the Mayo Clinic News Network.

Learn more

Learn more about oral cancer and join the Head and Neck Cancer Group on Mayo Clinic Connect.

Also read these articles:

• "Head and neck cancers are becoming increasingly common"
• "Mayo Clinic researchers find new treatment for HPV-associated oral cancer"