Gum Cancer Treatments: Understanding Your Options

Treatments available for gum cancer may be either clinical or standard treatment procedures. Most clinical treatments can only be used if traditional treatment has not been started. A medical oncologist will oversee all treatment for gum cancer.

Surgery

• Surgery may be preformed for all stages of oral cancer. Surgical options include wide local excision, neck dissection, plastic surgery and skin grafting.

Radiation Therapy

• Radiation therapy is available for some forms of gum cancer, depending on the stage of the disease. External and internal radiation therapies are radioactive therapy options.

Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy is also a popular treatment, depending on the stage of the gum cancer. Chemotherapy is administered by injection into the cancerous region.

Hyperthermia Therapy

• This therapy is used to kill cancer cells and enhance radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Hyperthermia therapy is performed by heating body tissue to a higher temperature than at which it can survive.

Clinical Trials

• Clinical trials are a good treatment option for people who want to advance cancer research, as yesterday's clinical trials are today's standard treatment practices. Consequently, clinical trials may be extremely beneficial for some patients.