Oncological diseases affect a significant part of the population. You can suddenly find cancer of your skin, uterus, mammary glands, blood, and even cancer under your tongue. People know the least about the latter, and therefore it is considered one of the most dangerous. But not a single disease comes just like that. There are reasons for everything, it is important to pay attention to the symptoms at the initial stage. To protect yourself, you need to know everything about cancer.
What is it?
Tongue cancer is understood as a malignant tumor , consisting mainly of squamous epithelium elements. The first warnings of the body about the presence of the disease are ignored by many, and therefore only in the later stages can they diagnose cancer of the tongue. Signs and symptoms mainly affect the oral cavity.
The disease more often affects men than women. Folk remedies help to ease the manifestation, but can not completely cure. Treatment is prescribed by an oncologist surgeon, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient and the stage of tumor development.
At risk
The disease never occurs just like that, and cancer of the tongue is no exception. Signs and symptoms are important to study in order to protect yourself from problems. Most often, those who expose their bodies to the following factors are at risk:
- smoking;
- regular excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages;
- chewing various narcotic mixtures;
- poor oral care;
- chemical and thermal burns;
- damage to the language of a mechanical nature.
Unfortunately, many of these points for many have long become harmful habits that torment them throughout their lives. It’s rather reckless to say to yourself that if in five years of smoking language cancer has not developed, then it will never be. A neoplasm can begin to develop even 20 years after smoking or abuse of strong drinks.
Precancerous diseases
There are a number of diseases called precancerous. These are those that begin to develop and progress, and eventually lead to the development of the initial stage of cancer of the tongue.
These include:
- chronic ulcer;
- Bowen's disease;
- glossitis;
- erosion;
- leukoplakia.
If they are not cured in time, it will be difficult to avoid tongue cancer. It is necessary to regularly undergo medical examinations, otherwise the oncology hospital will replace the regional clinic.
Symptomatology
For everything to end most favorably, you need to know how to recognize cancer of the tongue. Signs and symptoms that are noticed on time can ultimately save a life, because treatment started on time is the key to successful completion of the disease.
With an ulcerative form, people first notice the presence of ulcers. They appear suddenly either in the tongue or in the oral cavity and do not heal at all. Gradually, they can increase in size, causing itching, pain, which has a cutting character and burning sensation.
At the very first stages, pain in the mouth appears. They can be localized on the gums, cheeks, and throat. Most of the cancerous seals are located in the lateral part, so painful sensations often arise there. The mucous membrane of the surrounding tissues is also compacted. Whitish spots may occur. Sometimes squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue is not detected until metastases appear.
Violation of the sensitivity of the tongue is also a symptom of the disease. Together with the bleeding of the tumor, this only starts to bother in the later stages.
Symptoms include the following factors:
- Pain in temple, ear, mouth, nape. They have a migratory character.
- Irritated throat, pain when swallowing.
- Bad breath.
- Tooth loss It is observed in the case when metastases affect the jaw.
- Swelling of the face and neck.
- Excessive salivation caused by irritation of the oral cavity.
- Foreign body sensation in the throat.
In case of signs of cancer, it is necessary for the battle to turn to the doctor and not try to cure this with folk remedies. Self-medication will only worsen the course of the disease.
Is it easy to spot?
Of all forms of cancer, the easiest way to detect cancer of the tongue. Signs and symptoms are localized in one of the most tender areas, where even slight changes immediately become noticeable.
However, if you find discomfort in your mouth, you should not immediately make a diagnosis. To do this, consult an oncologist. A qualified doctor without any difficulty even visually notice the presence of pathological changes. The affected area in its appearance is significantly different from healthy. These can be seals of a grayish or pink color, a red tubercle dense to the touch.
Stages
The frequency of occurrence in the first place is the defeat of the lateral surface of the middle third of the tongue, in the second - cancer of the root of the tongue, less often you can see a tumor of the back of the tongue. All these species have a single system for determining stages, namely:
- 1st stage. During this period, a tumor of small size appears, usually it does not exceed 2 centimeters. Mostly it is located in the mucosa and submucous membranes. The spread of metastases and damage to the lymph nodes does not yet arise.
- 2 stage. The tumor grows, it is already more than 2 cm, but it does not exceed 4. Any symptoms of the presence of metastases in the lymph nodes or other organs can only be detected by a consultation with an oncologist. As a rule, metastases are found in the chin area, under the jaw.
- 3 stage. The tumor begins to spread further, capturing most of the tongue. It can gradually go to the bottom of the tongue, as a result of which the whole language becomes poorly mobile.
- 4 stage. A seal on the tongue already affects most of it, begins to move to the bones. Metastases can be both mobile and motionless. Localized to one area.
Depending on the stage, the oncologist surgeon decides which treatment should be prescribed.
Forms of metastasis
Metastasis is divided into three forms.
- The first is ulcerative. With it, manifestations appear, they bleed and have uneven edges.
- The second is papillary, has a seal located on the surface of the tongue. In addition, it can be observed along the edges of the tongue, on the back, lower surface. The slowest form of tumor growth.
- The third is infiltrated, characterized by the appearance of seals in the place where the cancer develops, with the slightest touch, painful sensations are felt. The seal has no defined boundaries, sticks out like a tubercle on the surface of the tongue. Ulcers are completely absent.
Benign formations
Rarely, but still it happens that a tumor in the tongue is not malignant. In this case, it could be:
- Hemangioma. The disease can affect the cheeks, palate, lips, gums. The formation has a blue-crimson or bluish color and increases with tension or during physical exertion. If you press on such a tumor, it begins to turn pale. Treatment can be radiation, surgical or combined.
- Language goiter. It arises as a result of a violation of embryogenesis. The tumor appears on the root of the tongue and reaches 1 cm in size. It increases gradually and grows very slowly. It has a smooth surface. Surgical treatment.
- Dermoids. Such formations are localized in the chin area, at the bottom of the mouth. Surgical removal easily eliminates the disease.
- Retention cysts. They can form on the tongue and cheeks in the form of bubbles with dense contents.
Diagnostics
Successful treatment can provide timely diagnosis. Particular attention should be paid to the condition of the mucous membrane of the tongue, the oral cavity. If you find long healing ulcers, white or red spots, you should immediately go to the doctor. Diagnosis of the disease is possible at the initial examination.
To get a complete picture of the course of the disease and the spread of education, it is necessary to undergo a cytological examination. He is involved in an oncology hospital and oncologists. They also use diagnostic methods such as magnetic resonance imaging, biopsy, computed tomography.
Treatment
Treatment can take place in two directions: the treatment of metastases or surgical, radiation exposure to malignancy. At the very first stages, radiation exposure to cancer of the tongue is successfully applied. The prognosis is favorable - 60-85% of cases end with a complete cure. If you combine surgery and radiation, then it is possible to cure 94% of patients.
Surgical treatment scares patients, and the point is not in the operation, but in the fact that after that the quality of life of the operated patient is significantly impaired. After resection of a part of the cheek, oral cavity, palate, jaw, tongue, problems arise with food intake, speech activity. However, in some cases this is simply necessary, since the affected area can grow and stop this process only by removing the problem area.
In addition to resection, the Banch, Crail or cervical tissue excision methods are used. In an inoperable case, or if there are multiple metastases and the patient refuses surgery, chemotherapy is used. She does not give a guarantee of recovery. Successful treatment of the disease can extend the patient's life by five years or even more, but it all depends on the stage of the disease, growth, the presence of metastases, general health and age of the patient.
Prevention
The most reasonable way to prevent cancer of the tongue. Treatment in this case is not needed. Prevention includes first and foremost a complete cessation of smoking. This applies to cigarettes, pipes, cigars, hookahs, drugs and intoxicants. It must be remembered that in addition to cancer of the tongue, it can provoke lung cancer and many other diseases. After that, you need to pay attention to alcohol consumption and try to reduce it to a minimum.
The fact that men more often than women get cancer of the tongue is connected with the fact that it is men who smoke and drink alcohol more. But recently, there has been a trend in the development of female smoking and alcoholism, because women are starting to outpace men in these deplorable statistics.
To prevent the development of the disease, you can observe oral hygiene.
It is necessary to brush your teeth on time, in the morning, before bedtime, and preferably after each meal. It is important not to forget to visit the dentist on time, because rotten and broken teeth cause injury to the delicate surface of the tongue and oral mucosa.