For Patients

Make an Informed Decision

Knowledge is power; you can make better and more confident decisions that concern your health if you are more informed.

Learn About Your Disease

As a first step, we want to help you learn as much as possible about oral cancer and how it might be treated. We have an in-depth section here on our oral cancer section that is a good starting point. You’ll find information on risk factors, symptoms and diagnostic tools as well as ways to determine the severity of your cancer and possible treatment and restoration options. Feel free to bring a list of questions and talk to us.

Understand Your Treatment Options

There are a variety of treatment options each stage in the development of oral cancer or pre-cancerous (benign) lesions. Not all of them are appropriate for your specific cancer. Together we’ll discuss the options, such as such as surgery, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy and pain management, as well as the reasons to choose one treatment over others. Our experts are at the forefront of new, less invasive surgical techniques that limit damage to surrounding tissue and expedite recovery.

Decide if a Clinical Trial is Right for You

Research is a big part of our mission at NYU Oral Cancer Center. Our NIH-funded scientists and clinicians study new ways to treat and prevent oral cancer. Much of our research effort addresses oral cancer pain management. Now might be the right time for you to participate in scientific research. To help you decide, click here and browse our ongoing clinical trials.

Seek a Second Opinion

A second opinion will help you gain peace of mind in the treatment approach of your healthcare provider and give you confidence in the healthcare decisions you make. In general there are clear and established treatment protocols for pre-cancers or early stage cancers. Thus, a second opinion for these cancers may not be essential. However, treatment options for rare or advanced cancers vary more widely. For these cases we recommend a consultation with at least one additional cancer specialist. We gladly offer second opinions and we’ll provide you with suggestions for a second specialist if you saw us first. Make an appointment online or by calling 212-998-9835.

Why Choose The NYU Oral Cancer Center?

We are confident that we are the best place to treat your oral cancer. Our clinicians and scientist possess unique expertise in oral cancer treatment and in research on new therapies for oral cancer. We have a Care Team of experts who specialize in head and neck surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, rehabilitation, nutrition, pain management and spiritual support.
Our researchers primarily investigate oral cancer pain. They conduct basic scientific studies to understand how cancers cause pain and how this process can be disrupted. They also investigate genomic subtleties in cancers to glean a more nuanced understanding of the pain-producing mechanisms initiated by the cancer. Data generated by our basic scientists are used to support subsequent studies in patients.

The close collaboration between the Cancer Pain Laboratory and the NYU Oral Cancer Center accelerates transfer of new knowledge. By bridging the gap between research discoveries and clinical practice our patients benefit from the rapid delivery of new treatments.