Indian clinical practice consensus guidelines for the management of oral cavity cancer: Update 2022

Abstract

The treatment of oral cavity cancer primarily depends on the location, tumor size, and feasibility of organ preservation in patients with negative margins. A liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive approach for detecting blood-based signatures such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulatory tumor DNA (ctDNA). To assess the presence of occult metastatic disease, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is recommended in early-stage oral cavity cancer (OCC). In India, surgery is the preferred choice of treatment for oral cancers. Selected patients, who are medically inoperable or refuse surgery, should be given definitive radiotherapy (RT) as an alternative to surgery. Concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) may be considered an alternative option to definitive RT in patients with unresectable oral cancer.