Mouth Cancer Survival Rates and Prognosis

Mouth, tongue, and oropharynx cancers generally have a poor prognosis. Approximately 8,000 Americans die every year from some form of oral cavity cancer. The overall five-year survival rate for mouth cancer is 55 percent, a statistic that has not improved in thirty years.Mouth and tongue cancer are often well advanced at the time of diagnosis, and have often metastasized beyond the oral cavity. If metastasis has occurred, the prognosis for oral cavity cancer treatment is poor. Additionally, mouth and tongue cancer have high primary tumor recurrence rates. After a successful initial mouth cancer treatment, the chance of a second oral cavity tumor developing is as high as twenty percent.