Condition

Lip and oral cavity cancer

Clinical trials and treatment information for Lip and oral cavity cancer

1.5M
People Affected
200
Active Trials
461K
New Cases/Year
208K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Surgery (Wide Local Excision/Glossectomy)
90% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 25% Safety• 5000 trials• 2M participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: Surgical resection with clear margins (e.g., 5-10mm)
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
25
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Immediate tumor removal, recovery weeks to months

Duration

Single procedure, recovery weeks to months

Response Rate

80%

Remission Rate

75%

Common Side Effects:

Pain: 85%
Swelling: 75%
Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing): 45%
Speech changes: 35%
Infection: 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$300

Monitoring

$2,000

Side Effects

$8,000

Total Annual

$10,300

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

8

Cost per Remission

$13,733

Cost per Responder

$12,875

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+90%
Response Rate
+80%
Remission Rate
+75%
Common Side Effects
Pain
+85%
Swelling
+75%
Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
+45%
2
Radiation Therapy (External Beam)
85% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 25% Safety• 5 trials• 1.5M participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Typically 60-70 Gy in 2 Gy fractions
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
25
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks into treatment, long-term control over months

Duration

5-7 weeks daily sessions

Response Rate

70%

Remission Rate

60%

Common Side Effects:

Mucositis: 80%
Xerostomia (dry mouth): 85%
Dysphagia: 70%
Skin reactions: 70%
Fatigue: 60%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$1,000

Monitoring

$25,000

Side Effects

$10,000

Total Annual

$36,000

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

6.5

Cost per Remission

$60,000

Cost per Responder

$51,429

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Largest Tumor Dimension3.5 cm
-70% (-2.45 cm)
Oral Pain Severity (NRS 0-10)7/10
-60% (-4.2 points)
Swallowing Difficulty (PROMIS Swallowing Severity, T-score)65 (moderate-severe difficulty)
-25% (-16.25 T-score points)
5-Year Local Recurrence Risk40%
-75% (-30 percentage points)
Secondary Benefits
Quality of Life (EORTC QLQ-C30 Global Health Score, 0-100)40/100
+25% (+10 points)
Speech Function (EORTC QLQ-H&N35 Speech Problems Score, 0-100, lower is better)60/100
-30% (-18 points)
Body Weight65 kg
+5% (+3.25 kg)
Common Side Effects
Mucositis
+80%
Xerostomia (dry mouth)
+85%
Dysphagia
+70%
3
Cisplatin (with Radiation Therapy)
80% Effectiveness• 88% Confidence• 25% Safety• 61 trials• 150K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: 40 mg/m2 weekly or 100 mg/m2 every 3 weeks
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
25
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Within weeks of starting, sustained benefit over months

Duration

Weekly for 6-7 weeks during radiation

Response Rate

75%

Remission Rate

65%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

8

Common Side Effects:

Nausea/Vomiting: 80%
Nephrotoxicity: 40%
Ototoxicity: 30%
Myelosuppression: 25%
Fatigue: 70%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$1,500

Monitoring

$10,000

Side Effects

$12,000

Total Annual

$23,500

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.8

ICER

$95,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$36,154

Cost per Responder

$31,333

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
5-year Overall Survival Rate45% (expected with radiation alone for locally advanced HNSCC)
+17.8% (+8 percentage points)
2-year Locoregional Control Rate60% (expected with radiation alone for locally advanced HNSCC)
+20% (+12 percentage points)
3-year Disease-Free Survival Rate40% (expected with radiation alone for locally advanced HNSCC)
+25% (+10 percentage points)
Complete Response Rate (for measurable disease)30% (expected with radiation alone)
+66.7% (+20 percentage points)
Secondary Benefits
MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) Score (0-100, higher is better)60/100 (moderate dysphagia due to tumor)
+10% (+6 points)
Speech Handicap Index (SHI) Score (0-100, lower is better)40/100 (moderate speech impairment due to tumor)
-15% (-6 points)
Global Health Status (EORTC QLQ-C30, 0-100, higher is better)50/100 (moderate impact on QoL due to cancer)
+10% (+5 points)
Common Side Effects
Nausea/Vomiting
+80%
Nephrotoxicity
+40%
Ototoxicity
+30%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
4
Pembrolizumab (Immunotherapy)
75% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 60% Safety• 2 trials• 40K participants
HIGH EvidencePoor ValueDose: 200 mg IV every 3 weeks or 400 mg IV every 6 weeks
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
60
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks to months

Duration

Every 3 or 6 weeks, until progression or toxicity

Response Rate

35%

Remission Rate

8%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

7

Common Side Effects:

Fatigue: 25%
Rash: 15%
Pruritus: 12%
Hypothyroidism: 8%
Immune-related colitis: 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$180,000

Monitoring

$15,000

Side Effects

$8,000

Total Annual

$203,000

Cost-Effectiveness

POOR

QALYs Gained

0.5

ICER

$350,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$2,537,500

Cost per Responder

$580,000

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Tumor Burden (Sum of Target Lesions)60 mm
-40% (-24 mm)
Median Progression-Free Survival (PFS)2.3 months
+40% (+0.9 months)
Median Overall Survival (OS)8 months
+40% (+3.2 months)
Secondary Benefits
Global Health Status (EORTC QLQ-C30 scale, 0-100)60/100 points
+8% (+4.8 points)
Pain Intensity (VAS 0-10)6/10
-20% (-1.2 points)
Fatigue Score (EORTC QLQ-C30 scale, 0-100)50/100 points
-10% (-5 points)
Common Side Effects
Fatigue
+25%
Rash
+15%
Pruritus
+12%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
5
Cetuximab (Targeted Therapy)
65% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 55% Safety• 2 trials• 50K participants
HIGH EvidencePoor ValueDose: Loading dose 400 mg/m2, then 250 mg/m2 weekly
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
55
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks

Duration

Weekly for 7-8 weeks with RT, or until progression for metastatic

Response Rate

20%

Remission Rate

5%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

10

Common Side Effects:

Acneiform rash: 75%
Hypomagnesemia: 40%
Fatigue: 40%
Infusion reactions: 15%
Paronychia: 15%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$50,000

Monitoring

$8,000

Side Effects

$3,000

Total Annual

$61,000

Cost-Effectiveness

POOR

QALYs Gained

0.3

ICER

$220,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$1,220,000

Cost per Responder

$305,000

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Tumor Size Reduction (Sum of Longest Diameters)Baseline sum of target lesions: 7.5 cm
-35% (-2.6 cm)
Pain Intensity (NRS 0-10 Scale)Baseline pain score: 7/10
-28.6% (-2 points)
Swallowing Function (MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory)Baseline MDADI score: 50/100
+20% (+10 points)
Head and Neck Symptom Burden (EORTC QLQ-H&N35 Symptom Scale)Baseline EORTC QLQ-H&N35 Symptom Score: 55/100
-18.2% (-10 points)
Secondary Benefits
Global Health Status / QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30)Baseline EORTC QLQ-C30 Global Health Status Score: 60/100
+8.3% (+5 points)
Serum AlbuminBaseline Serum Albumin: 3.2 g/dL
+9.4% (+0.3 g/dL)
Voice Function (Voice Handicap Index - VHI-30)Baseline VHI-30 score: 50/120
-16% (-8 points)
Common Side Effects
Acneiform rash
+75%
Hypomagnesemia
+40%
Fatigue
+40%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4