Separate PDQ summaries on Prevention of Oral Cancer and Screening for Oral Cancer are also available. Sites close to the midline often drain bilaterally. Second station nodes include the parotid, jugular, and the upper and lower posterior cervical nodes. Patients with head and neck cancers have an increased chance of developing a second primary tumor of the upper aerodigestive tract. No survival advantage has yet been demonstrated, however, in part due to recurrence and death from the primary malignancy.
Additional trials are ongoing.
The rate of curability of cancers of the lip and oral cavity varies depending on the stage and specific site. The choice of treatment is generally dictated by the anticipated functional and cosmetic results of the treatment. Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Mosby-Year Book, Inc., 1998. Million RR, Cassisi NJ, Eds.