Stages of Tongue Cancer
- When cancer develops in the front 2/3 of the tongue, it is considered oral cancer; when it develops in the back 1/3 of the tongue, it is classified as throat cancer. The truly dangerous part of any oral cancer is that the early stages are often painless, and offer few obvious physical changes that would alert the individual to a hazardous health situation. Tongue cancer may first show up as a small patch of white or red tissue, which could be noted as cause for concern if seen by a dentist. It is very important to have a doctor check any type of oral sore that does not heal within 2 weeks. Sores that can pass for normal ailments are often the first sign of cancer of the tongue or mouth. Other signs that cancer may be developing can consist of masses or lumps, prolonged hoarseness, a sore throat or sensation of something being caught in your throat, numbness, difficult or painful chewing, swallowing or speaking. Unfortunately, many of these symptoms can easily be attributed to common ailments such as a simple cold or flu virus. Too frequently, oral cancer is not diagnosed until it was metastasized, or spread, to another location within the body. Oral cancer has a particularly high tendency to produce additional tumors, so even survivors of an initial battle with oral cancer have a significantly higher risk of developing another form of cancer in their lifetime. Chances of survival decrease with the later diagnosis of the disease, particularly when it has spread to another area, which commonly tends to be the lymphatic system.
- A doctor should examine a suspicious area as soon as it is found and perform a biopsy on it. Biopsies are relatively simple procedures that can determine whether the spot is malignant. Oral cancer is usually treated by multiple efforts, which generally include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and possibly surgery. It may even require efforts from a dentist to ensure that the mouth is healthy enough to withstand the treatments.
- This cancer typically appears in those over the age of 40, though incidents in a younger group have been increasing, in large part due to the use of chewing tobacco or HPV, the virus causing most incidents of cervical cancer. Until recently, oral cancer was found to impact 6 men to every woman diagnosed, but the ratio has closed to the point of 2 men for each woman. The disease also appears twice as often among blacks as among whites, and the survival rate past 5 years is significantly lower among blacks. Tobacco and alcohol use are known risk factors for oral cancer, as well as many viral or fungal infections.
