Treatments for tonsil cancer include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Other treatments include targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
Your healthcare team considers many factors when creating a treatment plan. These factors might include the cancer’s location and how fast it’s growing. The care team also may look at whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body and the results of tests on the cancer cells. Your care team also considers your overall health and your preferences.
Your treatment also may depend on whether your cancer cells show signs of human papillomavirus, also called HPV. Researchers are studying whether people with HPV-related tonsil cancer can be treated with lower doses of radiation and chemotherapy. This less intense treatment causes fewer side effects. Studies have found that it seems to be as effective as higher doses. If your tonsil cancer is found to be HPV-related, you and your healthcare team might consider a clinical trial studying less intense treatments.
Surgery
The goal of surgery for tonsil cancer is to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Surgery can be used to treat all stages of tonsil cancer.
Surgery is most often done through the mouth. Doing surgery in this way is called transoral surgery. Surgeons pass tools through the mouth to access the cancer. The surgeons remove the cancer with cutting tools or lasers.
In certain situations, it may be necessary to make a large incision in the neck. This approach lets surgeons remove larger cancers and cancers that have spread to the lymph nodes. Reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation may be needed to restore your ability to eat, speak and swallow.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy treats cancer with powerful energy beams. The energy can come from X-rays, protons or other sources. During radiation therapy, a machine directs beams of energy to specific points on the body to kill the cancer cells.
Radiation therapy might be used alone to treat small cancers that haven’t grown beyond the tonsil. Sometimes radiation therapy is used after surgery if the cancer can’t be removed completely. It also may be used after surgery if there’s a risk that the cancer may have spread to the lymph nodes.
Radiation also can be combined with chemotherapy. The chemotherapy makes the radiation work better. Radiation and chemotherapy together is sometimes used as the first treatment for tonsil cancer. Or radiation and chemotherapy might be used as extra treatment after surgery.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy treats cancer with strong medicines. For tonsil cancer, chemotherapy is usually combined with radiation therapy. It also can be used alone to slow the growth of tonsil cancer that has come back or has spread to other areas of the body.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy uses medicines that attack specific parts of cancer cells. By blocking these parts, targeted treatments can cause cancer cells to die. Targeted therapy might be used to treat tonsil cancer that spreads to other parts of the body or comes back after treatment.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment with medicine that helps the body’s immune system kill cancer cells. The immune system fights off diseases by attacking germs and other cells that shouldn’t be in the body. Cancer cells survive by hiding from the immune system. Immunotherapy helps the immune system cells find and kill the cancer cells. Immunotherapy might be used when tonsil cancer spreads to other parts of the body and other treatments haven’t helped.
Rehabilitation services
If treatment affects your ability to speak and eat, you might need rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation specialists who work with people with tonsil cancer include those in speech therapy, swallowing therapy, dietetics, physical therapy and occupational therapy. These services can help with your recovery after tonsil cancer treatment.
