What are the symptoms of tongue cancer

What are the symptoms of tongue cancer? When it comes to tongue cancer, many people may not have heard of it. In fact, tongue cancer is not uncommon. It is one of the common oral cancers. It develops very quickly and often catches patients off guard. Because they do not understand the symptoms of tongue cancer, they miss the best time to treat the disease. So, what are the symptoms of tongue cancer?

1. Early symptoms of tongue cancer

Increased saliva secretion in the mouth, a sense of heaviness when swallowing, lumps and lymphadenopathy in the maxillofacial area, unexplained bleeding in the mouth and difficulty opening the mouth. Oral mucosa has long-term oral ulcers, which are recurrent and dull, pale, and abrupt. Erythema, edema, erosion, etc. appear in the mouth. Although there is no obvious pain or discomfort, if it does not heal for a long time, it needs timely diagnosis and treatment.

2. Symptoms of advanced tongue cancer

If tongue cancer is not taken seriously and treated in the early stages, the cancer cells will gradually develop and invade other tissues and organs, turning into advanced tongue cancer. Advanced tongue cancer can often involve the floor of the mouth, mandible, palatoglossal arch and tonsils. Local ulcers or infiltration develop rapidly, causing pain, tongue numbness and swallowing difficulties. Chronic irritants, neck swelling or lymph nodes can be found near the tumor.

Tongue cancer usually occurs at the edge of the tongue, followed by the tip, back and belly of the tongue. There may be a history of local leukoplakia or chronic irritation. It is often ulcerative or infiltrative, grows fast, is painful, and has strong infiltration. There may be limited tongue movement, difficulty eating and swallowing, and cervical lymph node metastasis in the early stage. Once the patient is found, he should actively go to the hospital for examination and treatment.

At present, the treatment of tongue cancer is mainly comprehensive treatment with surgery as the main method. Generally, the primary lesion should be removed and the neck lymph nodes should be cleared, and radiotherapy or chemotherapy should be combined before or after surgery. To prevent the occurrence of tongue cancer, we should reduce external stimuli in our daily life, actively treat precancerous lesions, and improve the body's resistance to disease.