Did you ask yourself ‘what causes tongue cancer?‘ ‘What are the symptoms?‘ Tongue cancer is a major type of oral cancer that can be treated if diagnosed at an early stage. Learning about the symptoms of tongue cancer can help you in identifying it quickly.
Tongue cancer is among the most harmful and typical of all types of oral or mouth cancers. If the cancer develops in the beginning two-thirds of the tongue, it is termed as a kind of oral cancer, but if it forms in the throat then it is classified as oropharyngeal cancer.
Males are more likely to deal with oral cancer than women. Cancer of the tongue can be treated completely if it is detected at an early stage. Learn ways to recognize tongue cancer symptoms and the best ways to deal with it.
Tongue Cancer Symptoms
Tongue cancer symptoms bear an incredible resemblance to that of a number of the other sort of oral cancer. It is common for people to believe that it suggests relentless cold or a mouth sore that isn’t healing rapidly. The following are a few of the other symptoms that are connected with tongue cancer.
- Pain in the jaw and/or tongue that will not disappear
- Development of a mass or thickening in the within the mouth
- A patch of red or white pigmentation forming on the tonsil, gums, lining of the mouth or tongue
- Having a sore throat or the sensation that you have something lodged in your throat
- Having problem in chewing or swallowing
- Having problem in moving the tongue or the jaw
- Persistent tingling in the mouth
- Bleeding from the tongue that is not triggered by biting
- Ear pain
- This kind of cancer normally resembles tongue lesions and can be brilliant red in color. Another method this can appear is in the form of red patches that are located underneath the tongue on the floor of the mouth.
The following picture can offer you a clearer idea. Note that cancer is not the only condition which can trigger these symptoms. For that reason, it is necessary that you see a doctor instantly if you experience these symptoms to obtain the right diagnosis.
Tongue Cancer Causes
Although the specific factors for tongue cancers continue to be unidentified, there have actually been a variety of danger factors that may result in them. Transmission of the HPV virus via sexual contact is among the risk elements for cancer while in the western world, tongue cancer can be caused because of alcohol abuse and smoking cigarettes any type of tobacco whether it is pipes, cigarettes or cigars. People over the age of 40 are more susceptible to obtain this kind of cancer and it generally influences males more than it influences women.
Squamous cells exist on the lining of the throat, mouth, thyroid, nose and the larynx. They are similar skin cells and are usually flat in look. Cancer that begins in these cells is called as Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCCA) and it is the commonest kind of tongue cancer.
Tongue Cancer Diagnosis
Cancer of the tongue is normally detected through a biopsy. It is an easy treatment in which the a sample of the tongue tissue is taken and examined under a microscope to see if there are any abnormal cells present in it. The biopsy can take up to two weeks. When the diagnosis of the cancer has been verified by the biopsy, more tests are done to inspect if the cancer has actually metastasized further to the lymph nodes present nearby. CT scans and MRIs are done to inspect if the cancer has spread out even further into the body. The reason for these tests is to figure out the stage of the cancer.
Tongue Cancer Treatment
Detecting tongue cancer at an earlier stage can help in treating it better and there is every opportunity that you will get cancer totally free. There are a number of treatments available for this kind of cancer which depends upon the stage of the cancer you remain in. The following are some of the treatments that are made use of for treating cancer of the tongue.
1. Surgery
If the tumor triggering the cancer in your tongue is a little one then the best means of treatment for it is surgery. The doctors attempt to make use of minimally intrusive treatments to perform the resection of the tumor from the tongue. Given that the whole growth needs to be removed from the tongue, the surgery may impact the speaking and swallowing abilities of the patient.
2. Radiotherapy
If the tumor is of a bigger size then surgery will have to be helped by radiotherapy also. In addition to the growth present on the tongue, the lymph nodes present on either side of the neck would also need to be surgically removed to make sure that the cancer does not return. After the surgery, radiotherapy will be performed under the guidance of an oncologist to make sure that no cancer cells are left.
3. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves using anti-cancer drugs for eliminating the malignant cells. Using chemotherapy ends up being essential if tongue cancer has actually metastasized to the neighboring lymph nodes present in the neck. Chemotherapy is commonly performed along with radiation therapy to obtain the best possible outcomes. Various kinds of anti-cancer drugs can be used in combination with each other throughout chemotherapy to attack and damage the cancer cells.
4. Targeted Drug Therapy
Targeted drug treatment has been designed to attack the cancer cells on a molecular level. This treatment technique is not administered alone and is usually combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy to form an extensive prepare for the treatment of tongue cancer.
