Five-Year Survival 90 percent (lip, inside of cheek and lower gums), 70 percent (tongue and floor of mouth)
Stage III
Standard Treatment Surgery and/or radiotherapy is used, depending on the location of the tumor . Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (before either surgery or radiotherapy) has been tried experimentally to shrink large tumors and improve the possibility of successful treatment with surgery or radiation but remains of unproven benefit. Patients with advanced lesions should have radiotherapy to lymph nodes or surgery to remove them.
• Lip: Combination of surgery and radiotherapy. Alternatively, these patients are appropriate candidates for
clinical trials .
• Front of tongue: Radiotherapy (may include implant) for less extensive lesions, and surgery with
postoperative radiotherapy for more extensive lesions.
• Inside of cheek: Radical surgery alone, radiotherapy alone or both in sequence.
• Floor of mouth: Extensive surgery or radiotherapy (may include implant).
• Lower gums: Combined radiotherapy and radical surgery.
• Behind wisdom teeth: Surgery followed by radiotherapy. Clinical trials involve adding chemotherapy.
• Upper gums: Superficial lesions are treated with radiotherapy alone. Deep lesions also require surgery.
