A Patient Has Been Diagnosed with a Malignancy of the Oral

A patient has been diagnosed with a malignancy of the oral cavity and is undergoing oncologic treatment. The oncologic nurse is aware that the prognosis for recovery from head and neck cancers is often poor because of what characteristic of these malignancies?

A) Radiation therapy often results in secondary brain tumors.
B) Surgical complications are exceedingly common.
C) Diagnosis rarely occurs until the cancer is endstage.
D) Metastases are common and respond poorly to treatment.