The doctor may remove the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around the cancer. A new type of surgery called micrographic surgery is being tested in clinical trials for early cancers of the lip and oral cavity. During this surgery, the doctor removes the cancer and then uses a microscope to look at the area to make sure there are no cancer cells left. As little normal tissue as possible is removed. If smoking is stopped before radiation therapy is started, the patient has a better chance of surviving longer.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. If the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the operation, the patient may be given chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Chemotherapy given after an operation to a person who has no cancer cells that can be seen is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Chemotherapy given before surgery to try and shrink the cancer so it can be removed is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy.