Tongue Cancer

Tongue cancer symptoms include sores or lumps on the tongue, altered taste, and difficulty swallowing or talking. Cancer that has spread can cause swollen lymph nodes in the neck and other symptoms.

Common symptoms of tongue cancer include:

• Altered sense of taste

• Bleeding in the mouth

• Cracking in an area of the tongue

• Difficulty eating or swallowing

• Difficulty talking

• Lump on the tongue

• Nonhealing sore on the tongue, which may be white, pale, red, dark, or otherwise discolored

• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck

• Thickening of an area of the tongue

• Tongue pain

• Unexplained weight loss

In some cases, complications of tongue cancer can create a serious condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you experience uncontrolled or heavy bleeding or breathing problems, such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, labored breathing, wheezing, not breathing, and choking. Seek prompt medical care if you have any of these symptoms:

• Altered sense of taste
• Bleeding in the mouth
• Difficulty eating or swallowing
• Difficulty talking
• Persistent swollen lymph nodes (more than two weeks)
• Sore or lump on the tongue that does not heal
• Tongue pain
• Unexplained weight loss

What causes cells to undergo changes that lead to cancer is not known; however, several risk factors are known, including tobacco use, which is the strongest single risk factor for tongue cancer, and alcohol use. Infection by human papilloma virus plays an important role in the development of genetic changes that initiate the development of cancer.

A number of factors increase the risk of developing tongue cancer. Not all people with risk factors will get tongue cancer. Risk factors for tongue cancer include:

• Age over 40 years
• Alcohol abuse
• Diet low in fruits and vegetables
• Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection
• Male gender
• Personal history of oral cancer
• Smoking or use of other tobacco products

You may be able to lower your risk of tongue cancer by:

• Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits

• Quitting use of tobacco products, including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco

• Reducing your alcohol consumption

Treatment of tongue cancer begins with seeking regular medical care throughout your life, including regular dental care. Regular medical care allows a health care professional to provide early screening tests. Regular medical care also provides an opportunity for your health care professional to promptly evaluate symptoms and your risks for developing tongue cancer.

The goal of tongue cancer treatment is to permanently cure the cancer or to bring about a complete remission of the disease. Remission means that there is no longer any sign of the disease in the body, although it may recur or relapse later.

Common treatments for tongue cancer include:

• Chemotherapy to attack cancer cells

• Participation in a clinical trial that is testing promising new therapies and targeted treatments for tongue cancer

• Radiation therapy to attack cancer cells

• Surgery to remove the cancer and evaluate how far it has spread

Other therapies may be added to help with your general state of health and any side effects of treatment:

• Antinausea medications if nausea occurs

• Blood cell growth factors to increase the number of white blood cells if these get too low during treatment

• Blood transfusions to temporarily replace blood components, such as red blood cells that have dropped to low levels

• Dietary counseling to help maintain strength and nutritional status

• Pain medications as needed to increase comfort

• Physical therapy to help with eating, swallowing or talking problems

• Reconstructive surgery to restore structures that have been removed

Some complementary treatments may help some people to better deal with tongue cancer and its treatments. These treatments, sometimes referred to as alternative therapies, are used in conjunction with traditional medical treatments. Complementary treatments are not meant to substitute for traditional medical care. Be sure to notify your doctor if you are consuming nutritional supplements or homeopathic (nonprescription) remedies as they may interact with the prescribed medical therapy.

Complementary treatments may include:

• Acupuncture

• Massage therapy

• Nutritional dietary supplements, herbal remedies, tea beverages, and similar products

• Yoga

In cases in which tongue cancer has progressed to an advanced stage and has become unresponsive to treatment, the goal of treatment may shift away from curing the disease and focus on measures to keep a person comfortable and maximize the quality of life. Hospice care involves medically controlling pain and other symptoms while providing psychological and spiritual support as well as services to support the patient’s family.

Complications of tongue cancer can be serious, even life threatening in some cases. You can help minimize your risk of serious complications by following the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you. Complications of tongue cancer include:

• Adverse effects of treatment
• Decreased ability to eat, drink, talk or breathe
• Hemorrhage (uncontrolled bleeding)
• Recurring cancer after treatment
• Spread of cancer into nearby structures
• Spread of cancer to distant areas of the body
• Spread of cancer to lymph nodes in the neck