Chances of cure of palatal cancer

The chances of cure for palatal cancer depend greatly on the stage at which the cancer is detected and treated. While the 5-year survival rate in early tumor stages 1 and 2 is about 70%, it is only about 43% in advanced tumor stages 3 and 4. If all stages are considered together, the 5-year survival rate is about 50%.

Prognosis of palatal cancer

About every 5th person with oral cavity cancer has a recurrence, i.e. the cancer reoccurs after successful treatment. About 75% of recurrences occur within the first two years after successful treatment. Therefore – as with any cancer disease – regular follow-up care plays an essential role.

During the first two years, check-ups should be carried out every three months, including regular imaging diagnostics of the mouth and neck area using computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. From the 3rd to 5th year after therapy, follow-up examinations should be every 6 months. The 5-year survival rate for oral cavity carcinomas is still rather poor at 50%.

Treatment of palatal cancer

The type of therapy depends on various factors: The size of the tumor, its extent, whether lymph nodes are affected and whether the cancer has already spread (metastasis). The general condition and age of the patient also play an important role in planning the therapy.There are two main treatment strategies for each type of cancer: The curative therapy with the aim of curing the patient and the palliative therapy with the aim of alleviating the symptoms as much as possible without aiming for a cure. Palliative therapy is always used when a complete cure is no longer possible in the case of cancer or when external circumstances, for example a serious other underlying disease of the patient or a very old age, prohibit the “curative” therapy.

There are three main pillars of treatment for oral cavity cancer: Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Often these three procedures are combined with each other. If the cancer has not yet spread, in most cases the first step is a surgical removal of the tumor as radically as possible.

The surgical therapy is always performed under general anesthesia. First, the tumor tissue is surgically removed as completely as possible and with sufficient safety distance. Depending on the area in which the tumor was located, a so-called reconstructive procedure may subsequently be necessary.

Such a reconstruction is necessary if the original shape of the oral cavity or certain functions of the oral cavity were impaired by the operation. If the cancer of the oral cavity has already spread to neighboring lymph node areas, it may also be necessary to remove the affected lymph node regions in the neck area. This is known as neck dissection in medical jargon.

Depending on the stage of the tumor and the results of the operation, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy may also be necessary after the operation. A problem in the oral cavity is that there are many structures that must be spared as much as possible. For this reason, radiation therapy may be the treatment of choice in the oral cavity in order to protect essential body structures.

According to current studies, radiotherapy can also achieve complete healing within certain tumor stages.

What is chemotherapy?
Treatment by radiotherapy

In addition to surgical therapy, irradiation also plays a very important role in the treatment of oral cavity tumors. Even an isolated radiation therapy can achieve a complete cure for palatal cancer (curative therapy).

Radiation therapy can be used in isolation, but also in combination with chemotherapy or as a supplement after surgical treatment. In radiotherapy, high-energy X-rays are used to destroy the tumor tissue in the best possible way. To ensure that the effects on the healthy tissue are not too strong, radiation therapy is applied in doses.

This means that radiotherapy sessions take place several times a week, spread over several weeks. Chemotherapy can also be used in the treatment of oral cavity cancer. In most cases, it is a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Chemotherapy involves the use of a specific drug that is intended to damage the cancer cells. This drug is combined with regular radiation sessions. Chemotherapy alone is only used as part of palliative therapy for oral cavity carcinoma, i.e. when symptoms are to be alleviated as much as possible, but healing is no longer possible. More detailed information on the implementation and risks of chemotherapy is provided below:

Implementation of chemotherapy
Side effects of chemotherapy