Skip to main content
Medicine LibreTexts

6.9.5: 5. Evaluation of Oropharyngeal Cancer- Key points

  • Page ID
    53882
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Evaluation of Oropharyngeal Cancer: Key points

    • Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) occurs most commonly
    • Etiology includes smoking and HPV infection
    • Histological diagnosis is essential, also to exclude malignancies like minor salivary cancers, melanoma, lymphoma, and inflammatory causes (e.g. TB)
    • Surgery +/- (chemo)radiation, or primary chemoradiation offers the best chance of cure
    • Objectives of preoperative evaluation
      • Confirm diagnosis
      • Staging
      • Patient evaluation: Fitness, objectives (cure vs palliation), ability to undergo surgery +/- (chemo)radiation, or primary (chemo)radiation, and ability to deal with the long-term consequences of treatment
      • Decide whether to offer curative or palliative treatment
      • Surgery
        • Plan appropriate surgery
        • Avoid inappropriate surgery
        • Avoid surgery beyond the scope of the surgeon
      • Primary chemoradiation
        • Ability to complete treatment
        • Ability to deal with long-term consequences of treatment

    This page titled 6.9.5: 5. Evaluation of Oropharyngeal Cancer- Key points is shared under a CC BY-NC 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Open Access Atlas of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Operative Surgery.