The American Cancer Society estimates that 11,000 new cases of tongue cancer among Americans will be diagnosed in 2010, with approximately 70 percent occurring in men. Although surgery often proves the treatment of choice for early-stage tongue cancer, doctors frequently use radiation therapy and chemotherapy to treat the disease. The five-year survival rate for tongue cancer ranges from 71 percent for stage 1 disease to 37 percent for stage 4--the most advanced form of tongue cancer--reports the American Cancer Society.
External Beam Radiotherapy
External beam radiotherapy involves killing cancer cells using a machine that generates high-energy radiation targeted toward the tumor. A radiation cancer specialist uses imaging studies, such as CT and MRI scans, to plan the therapy. At each treatment session, a technician positions the patient on the treatment table and sets the machine to deliver a specific dose of radiation to the tumor. Patients typically have one or two treatments each day, five days per week for several weeks, notes the American Cancer Society.
Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy are advanced forms of external beam radiotherapy, which some cancer facilities use to treat patients with tongue cancer. The techniques used with these forms of external radiotherapy help target the tumor more precisely, potentially decreasing the likelihood of damage to the normal surrounding tissues.
In addition to radiation of the tongue tumor, cancer specialists may recommend external beam radiotherapy to the neck for patients with early-stage disease, notes the National Cancer Institute. Doctors use neck radiation to kill microscopic cancer cells that may have spread to the neck lymph nodes.
Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy involves the delivery of radiation to a cancerous tongue tumor through the implantation of radioactive materials near the lesion. Doctors place temporary tubes into the tumor and deposit radioactive materials into the tubes. With low-dose brachytherapy, the radioactive material stays in place for several days before removal. High-dose brachytherapy involves placement of the radioactive material into the treatment tubes for a short period each day for several days. At the completion of brachytherapy, the temporary treatment tubes are removed. Cancer specialists may recommend combining brachytherapy with external beam radiotherapy to improve the likelihood of successful tongue cancer treatment, reports the National Cancer Institute.
Chemoradiotherapy
Chemotherapy treatment administered along with radiotherapy may prove useful for some patients with tongue cancer. This approach, known as chemoradiotherapy, may improve the likelihood of killing the cancer cells, explains the Oral Cancer Foundation. Patients receiving chemoradiotherapy commonly experience more side effects than those treated with radiation therapy alone, notes the American Cancer Society.
References
- American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2010
- American Cancer Society: Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancers, Relative 5-year Survival Rates, by Stage
- American Cancer Society: Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancers, Radiation Therapy
- National Cancer Institute: Stage I Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer
- National Cancer Institute: Moderately Advanced (Late T2, Small T3) Lesions of the Anterior Tongue
