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Topic: State of the Art in the Management of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The role of radiotherapy in the treatment

of oral cavity cancer

Joaquín J. Cabrera-Rodríguez

Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Infanta Cristina, 06080 Badajoz, Spain.
Correspondence Author: Dr. Joaquín J. Cabrera-Rodríguez, Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Infanta Cristina,
Avenida de Elvas s/n, 06080 Badajoz, Spain. E-mail: joaquinjosecabrera@gmail.com

Dr. Joaquín J. Cabrera-Rodríguez, M.D., is an Attending Physician in the Department of
Radiation Oncology at Hospital Universitary Infanta Cristina, Badajoz, Spain. His interests
mainly focus on head and neck cancer and lung cancer. His is Tutor for the Ration Oncology
Residency Program in the hospital.

ABSTRACT
Radiotherapy plays a critical role in the treatment of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma as
monotherapy in early stage cancer or combined with surgery and/or chemotherapy in advances
ones. Recent developments in the imaging of cancer and radiation technology have allowed
developing more precise delivery of treatment with recent data demonstrating improvement in
survival and lessening of adverse toxics effects of radiation. This review will focus in the recent
advances and current state-of-the-art in radiation oncology both external beam radiotherapy and
brachytherapy. As complexity of cancer treatments increases a close coordination between head-
neck surgeons and radiation oncologist is needed due to a significant proportion of patients will be
treated with combined modality therapy.

Key words:
Radiotherapy; intensity modulated radiation therapy; high dose rate; low dose rate; head neck
cancer; brachytherapy

INTRODUCTION unresectable or advanced disease will receive radiotherapy
plus chemotherapy or targeted therapy with monoclonal
Although surgery is the recommended treatment for oral antibodies against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
cavity squamos cell carcinoma (OCSCC), radiotherapy in order to enhance the cytotoxic effect of radiation.
[1]
(RT) plays a capital role in the treatment of OCSCC either
exclusively or as adjuvant after surgery. The present manuscript is a revision of most important
manuscripts concerning a large and extended bibliography
RT may be administered using two techniques, which, in
turn, are likely to be combined together in the specific case of has been performed in order to elucidate the current role of
OCSCC: external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and brachytherapy RT in the treatment of patients with squamous cell carcinoma
(BT). Usually patients with early stage disease are treated of the oral cavity.
exclusively radical radiotherapy; however, patients with This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
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How to cite this article: Cabrera-Rodríguez JJ. The role of
radiotherapy in the treatment of oral cavity cancer. Plast Aesthet Res
DOI:
10.20517/2347-9264.2016.13 2016;3:158-66.
Received: 29-03-2016; Accepted: 10-05-2016

158 © 2016 Plastic and Aesthetic Research | Published by OAE Publishing Inc.