Pharyngeal Cancer

TREATMENT OPTIONS

Surgery

Surgery is an effective way to treat Stage I and Stage II disease as discussed above. In some cases, surgery can also be effective for stage III disease. The drawback of surgery, however, is that the patient is often left with an anatomic defect, such as removal of part of a jawbone.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is also an effective modality for treating pharyngeal cancer. Sometimes radiation is given after surgery when there is a high risk of residual cancer. Radiation can also be used as a treatment in and of itself. This requires higher doses of radiation with more potential for long-term side effects.

Chemotherapy

Newer chemotherapy agents are proving helpful in the treatment of pharyngeal cancer. Chemotherapy is sometimes used in conjunction with radiation (so called concomitant treatment). In this case, the chemotherapy functions to sensitize the cancer cells to the effect of radiation without sensitizing the normal cells. Chemotherapy may also be helpful in preventing the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.