Introduction: Surgical treatment of oral cancers lead to a wide loss of tissue that compromises functional and aesthetical results. Objective: A multi-modal treatment is purposed to preserve the oral cavity without compromising the oncological result. Methods: A metanalysis was performed involving 95 patients with oral carcinoma treated in the ENT Department of Bari from 1990 to 1998. Sixty-two patients underwent tumor resection isolated or associated to radiotherapy, and 33 cases underwent chemoterapy followed by radiotherapy or surgery. Results: Total survival was 79.3% with no difference between patients who initiated treatment with surgery (69.3%) and with chemotherapy (66.6%). Conclusion: Although the chemotherapy did not improve the survival, it allowed the organ preservation in 1/3 of the patients.