The incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is increasing year by year. Oral cancer, the most common subtype of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, is initially diagnosed as locally advanced and prone to recurrence and metastasis. Although traditional surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the first-line options, they are easy to damage the oral chewing, language function, and facial appearance and also have a series of side effects. The 5-year survival rate of patients has been long stagnating, and the quality of life is greatly reduced after surgery. In recent years, many innovative therapies have been developed for oral cancer, including heparin derivatives, molecular targeted therapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and photothermal therapy (PTT), which not only improve the cure rate of oral cancer but also reduce the incidence of complications. Based on the existing in vivo, in vitro, and clinical research data, these four new therapies can inhibit the occurrence and development of oral cancer alone or in combination with traditional therapies. This article reviews the clinical research and treatment progress of these four new therapies.

Lu Liu, Qian Wan. Research progress of novel therapeutic strategies for oral cancer. International Journal of Frontiers in Medicine (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 2: 149-154. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFM.2026.080217.

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