ON THIS PAGE: You will read about the scientific research being done to learn more about oral and oropharyngeal cancers and how to treat them. Use the menu to see other pages.

Doctors are working to learn more about oral and oropharyngeal cancers, ways to prevent them, how to best treat them, and how to provide the best care to people diagnosed with these diseases. The following areas of research may include new options for patients through clinical trials. Always talk with your doctor about the best diagnostic and treatment options for you.

ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about the different types of treatments doctors use to treat people with oral or oropharyngeal cancer. Use the menu to see other pages.

ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about how doctors describe a cancer’s growth or spread. This is called the stage. Use the menu to see other pages.

What is cancer staging?

Staging is a way of describing where a cancer is located, if or where it has spread, and whether it is affecting other parts of the body.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find a list of common tests, procedures, and scans that doctors use to find the cause of a medical problem. Use the menu to see other pages.

Doctors use many tests to find, or diagnose, cancer. They also do tests to learn if cancer has spread to another part of the body from where it started. If the cancer has spread, it is called metastasis. Imaging tests show pictures of the inside of the body. Doctors may also do tests to learn which treatments could work best.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about body changes and other things that can signal a problem that may need medical care. Use the menu to see other pages.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about the factors that increase the chance of developing oral and oropharyngeal cancers. Use the menu to see other pages.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find a drawing of the main body parts affected by oral and oropharyngeal cancers. Use the menu to see other pages.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find some basic information about these diseases and the parts of the body they may affect. This is the first page of Cancer.Net’s Guide to Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer. Use the menu to see other pages. Think of that menu as a roadmap for this entire guide.

Cancer begins when healthy cells change and grow out of control, forming a mass called a tumor. A tumor can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread.

ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about how doctors describe a cancer’s growth or spread, as well as what the cancer cells look like under a microscope. This is called the stage and grade. Use the menu to see other pages.

What is cancer staging?

Staging is a way of describing where the cancer is located, if or where it has spread, and whether it is affecting other parts of the body.