Common Side Effects After Surgery for Oral Cancer

Most people can go home within several days after surgery for oral cancer. It will most likely take you a few weeks to feel better, but prescribed medicine will help control the pain. ²

Here are some of the things that could occur during your recovery.^{1, 2, 3}

• Pain in the area of the surgery

• Swelling in the face

• Numbness of the ear, weakness in raising the arm above the head, or weakness of the lower lip (depending on the site of the surgery)

• Difficulty swallowing, eating, or talking

• Fatigue

Most of these effects are temporary. Your doctor or nurse can help you learn how to cope with them. Before you leave the hospital, make sure you talk with your doctor about how to recognize the signs of a serious problem. In general, people who have surgery for oral cancer can get back to their normal activities after a couple of weeks.²

¹ “Side Effects of Cancer Treatment.” National Cancer Institute. U.S. National Institutes of Health. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/oral/page10 Accessed 2008.

² “Coping with the Side Effects and Complications of Treatment?” American Cancer Society. September 28, 2007. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Summary_of_Side_Effects_and_Complications_of_Treatment_60.asp?sitearea=  Accessed 2008.

³ “Surgery.” American Cancer Society. September 28, 2007. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Surgery_60.asp?rnav=cri Accessed 2008.