The most common symptoms of tongue cancer include red or white spots on the tongue, pain while chewing or swallowing food, bleeding in the mouth, and bad breath with an unusual smell. Tongue cancer is a term used to describe the rapid growth of cancerous cells in a person’s tongue. It is most commonly caused by squamous cell carcinoma, in which the squamous cells of the tongue become cancerous and subsequently begin to manifest themselves as a tumor.
One of the earliest symptoms of tongue cancer are lesions that suddenly appear and don’t go away, even after two weeks. These lesions appear as masses or lumps on either the top or the side of the tongue. If the lesions last longer than two weeks, a doctor should be seen, who in turn will extract a small piece of the tongue and send it to the lab for testing.
Another sign of tongue cancer is a mouth sore. Oftentimes, such sores are the direct result of burning one’s mouth from eating food that’s too hot or too acidic. If the condition persists for longer than a week, the individual in question should seek guidance from his or her physician.
Additional symptoms of tongue cancer include numbness in the mouth, the inability to speak correctly, pain while chewing, and bleeding. These symptoms of tongue cancer may also be a sign of another condition, which is why individuals suffering from them should immediately seek the counsel of a medical doctor. Like other cancers, tongue cancer is best dealt with if diagnosed and treated early. Otherwise, it can quickly spread to other parts of the oral cavity through blood and lymph nodes.
The symptoms of tongue cancer can appear in anyone, but there are a few select groups who are at greater risk. Men over the age of forty are at the highest risk of developing tongue cancer. People who have poor oral hygiene, people who smoke, and people with a history of oral ulcers are also at an increased risk. Scientists have discovered a link between throat cancer and hereditary conditions, which means people with a family history of cancer are also at risk.
Tongue cancer is treatable, but surviving tongue cancer means taking immediate action. The worst thing someone can do is avoid seeing one’s doctor due to the fear that the symptoms are related to something else. If symptoms are present, it is better to receive a prompt diagnosis so that treatment can begin.