1. Tongue Cancer is an Oral Cancer
Tongue cancer is typically classified as an oral cancer and is grouped with cancers that appear on the lips, cheek, floor of the mouth, hard and soft palate, sinuses and throat. These types of cancer share many symptoms, and if you are seeing your dentist or doctor regularly, he should be checking for symptoms. It's important to keep in mind that some of the symptoms point to conditions other than cancer.
2. Symptoms of Tongue Cancer
The symptoms of oral cancer, including tongue cancer, include swellings, thickenings, lumps or bumps, rough spots or crusted sores, eroded areas on the lips, gums or other areas inside your mouth. You also may notice velvety white, red or specked red and white patches in the mouth or unexplained bleeding in the mouth. You may experience numbness, loss of feeling pain or tenderness in any area of the face, mouth or neck. If you have persistent sores on your face, neck or mouth that bleed easily and don't heal within 2 weeks, make sure you see your doctor. A persistent sore throat or a feeling like something is caught in the back of your throat is another sign of oral cancers.
3. Tongue Cancer Risk Factors
According to the American Cancer Society, men are twice more likely to develop oral cancer than women and men over age 50 face the greatest risk. Some risk factors include smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes. Smokers are 6 times more likely than non-smokers to develop oral cancers. Using snuff or chewing tobacco also increases your risk, particularly of cancers of the cheek, gums and lip linings. Too much alcohol also increases your risk along with a family history of oral cancer and excessive exposure to the sun, especially at a young age. Pain in the ear can be a symptom, too, although it is rare.
4. Treatment of Tongue Cancer
Like most cancers, early detection leads to the most successful outcomes. Treating tongue cancer depends on the size of the cancer and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes in your neck. The best treatment for small cancers is surgery. If it is a larger tumor and has spread to the lymph nodes, it may require surgery and radiation. The surgery involves removing the tumor from your tongue and the lymph nodes from your neck. Sometimes it is necessary to have all the nodes on one or both sides of the neck removed. Some doctors refer to this as neck dissection. You may then have radiation treatments to help eliminate any remaining cancer cells. Depending on the size and progression of the cancer, chemotherapy also may be used.
