Oral cavity: Early lesions

Abstract

The challenge in the treatment of early squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity and premalignant precursor lesions is to find a balance between efficacy and side effects. In early lesions, the tumor burden is low, and often treatment can be limited to local therapies. Development in the traditional therapies for early lesions is absent, in case of surgery and radiotherapy, and therefore other novel treatment strategies can provide the possibility of reducing side effects. Photodynamic therapy has proven to be effective and can be considered as an alternative to surgery or radiotherapy. Long-term side effects such as loss of sensitivity and tongue mobility seem lower after PDT. In this chapter, possible sensitizers are discussed that can be employed to treat early squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity.