Treatment of Metastatic Stage IV and Recurrent Oropharyngeal Cancer

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

Treatment of oropharyngeal cancer that has metastasized or recurred in the oropharynx may include:

• surgery, if the cancer does not respond to radiation therapy
• radiation therapy, if the tumor was not completely removed by surgery and previous radiation has not been given
• second surgery, if the tumor was not completely removed by the first surgery
• chemotherapy for people with recurrent cancer that cannot be removed by surgery
• radiation therapy given at the same time as chemotherapy
• stereotactic body radiation therapy given at the same time as targeted therapy (cetuximab)
• immunotherapy (nivolumab or pembrolizumab) given after or during chemotherapy
• clinical trials of targeted therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy, hyperfractionated radiation therapy, or immunotherapy given at the same time as chemotherapy

Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.