The most common cancers in this area begin in the base of the tongue and the tonsils. Almost all cases of oropharyngeal cancer are related to cigarette smoking or other forms of tobacco use such as pipe smoking and tobacco chewing. Heavy alcohol consumption along with tobacco use further increases the risk. Poor oral hygiene or bad teeth can also contribute to cancer. Most oropharyngeal cancers occur in men, although as more women are smoking they now have a higher chance of developing these cancers.
Treatment Overview
• This cancer rarely spreads early in its course, but often spreads later. Should the primary site not be controlled
and it recurs there, the rest of the body should be evaluated for tumor spread.
• The prognosis seems to decrease as the origin of the cancer is located farther back from the lips. The lips have
the best prognosis, the tongue second, the area behind the wisdom teeth (retromolar trigone) third. The
prognosis is poorest in the hypopharynx. Patients whose tumors grow into blood vessels have a worse
prognosis.
• A multi-disciplinary approach provides the best chance for cure. The team usually consists of a head and neck
surgeon, radiation and medical oncologists and an oral prosthodontist (a dentist experienced in dental
reconstruction). Since these tumors often extend into areas that are not easily seen (upwards into the
nasopharynx and downwards into the hypopharynx), these areas have to be evaluated before treatment is
