Chemotherapy for oral cancer
Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. These drugs target rapidly dividing cells throughout the whole body. This means that chemotherapy kills cancer cells but it can also damage healthy cells.
With most types of chemotherapy, the drugs travel through the blood to reach and destroy cancer cells all over the body, including cells that may have broken away from the primary tumour. This is described as systemic therapy.
Some people with oral cancer have chemotherapy. If you have chemotherapy, your healthcare team will use what they know about the cancer and about your health to plan the drugs, doses and schedules.
Chemotherapy is usually offered along with other cancer treatments. You may have chemotherapy to:
- destroy cancer cells left behind after surgery and reduce the risk that the cancer will come back (recur) (called adjuvant chemotherapy)
- try to slow the growth of the cancer
- relieve pain or control the symptoms of metastatic oral cancer (called palliative chemotherapy)
Chemotherapy and
Chemotherapy drugs commonly used for oral cancer
The most common chemotherapy drugs used to treat oral cancer include:
- cisplatin
- fluorouracil (also called 5-fluorouracil or 5-FU)
- carboplatin
- paclitaxel
- docetaxel
- hydroxyurea
The most common chemotherapy drug combinations used to treat oral cancer are:
- cisplatin and fluorouracil
- cisplatin and paclitaxel
- fluorouracil and hydroxyurea
If oral cancer comes back or has metastasized, the following drugs may be used:
- cisplatin
- carboplatin
- paclitaxel
- docetaxel
- fluorouracil
- methotrexate
- capecitabine
Most chemotherapy drugs used for oral cancer are given intravenously (through a needle into a vein). Some chemotherapy drugs are given as a pill and taken by mouth (orally).
Side effects of chemotherapy
Side effects of chemotherapy will depend mainly on the drug, the dose, how it's given and your overall health. Tell your healthcare team if you have side effects that you think are from chemotherapy. The sooner you tell them of any problems, the sooner they can suggest ways to help you deal with them.
Common side effects of chemotherapy drugs for oral cancer are:
- low blood cell counts (bone marrow suppression)
- weakened immune system
- increased chance of infection
- easy bruising and bleeding (low platelet count)
- constipation
- diarrhea
- fatigue
- nausea and vomiting
- loss of appetite
- sore mouth and throat
- hand-foot syndrome
- nerve damage
- kidney problems
- bladder problems
- hair loss
- heart problems
- weight loss
Find out more about chemotherapy
Find out more about chemotherapy and side effects of chemotherapy. To make the decisions that are right for you, ask your healthcare team questions about chemotherapy.
Details on specific drugs change regularly. Find out more about sources of drug information and where to get details on specific drugs.
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