A brief analysis of the cause of tongue cancer

Although life has gotten better now, there are also many more diseases. It is heartbreaking to see many cancer patients in hospitals now. Tongue cancer is one of them. However, many people do not understand the symptoms of tongue cancer and it is ignored in the early stages. Let me briefly analyze the causes of tongue cancer with you.

Causes of tongue cancer:

1. External factors:

① Chronic infection: Inflammation or ulcers on the tongue that do not heal for a long time may tend to become cancerous.

②Poor oral hygiene.

③ Mechanical stimulation: residual crowns and roots of teeth, sharp gingival edges, poor denture restorations, especially metal dentures, can cause long-term stimulation of the tongue mucosa to produce ulcers, and eventually lead to cancer.

④ Chemical factors: Aromatic hydrocarbons in tobacco are carcinogenic, especially for cigar or pipe smokers. Long-term drinkers of strong alcohol have 15 times more chance of developing oral cancer. This phenomenon shows that the stimulation of tobacco and alcohol is also one of the causes of tongue cancer.

2. Internal factors:

① After the age of 40, the epithelial layer of the tongue gradually shrinks, and the resistance to harmful external stimuli is weakened, making it more susceptible to cancer;

② Malnutrition: Vitamin A and B vitamins deficiency can easily lead to cancer;

③ Other benign diseases of the tongue mucosa may become malignant, such as leukoplakia and erythema on the tongue mucosa, ulceration or nodules, which may lead to malignant transformation. Leukoplakia and erythema are called precancerous lesions because they have similar characteristics to squamous cell carcinoma in histology. Erythema and leukoplakia are often accompanied by oral cancer, especially erythema, which has a greater tendency to become malignant.

Among the many carcinogenic factors of tongue cancer, all of them can cause direct damage to the tongue mucosal epithelium, causing degeneration, inflammation, necrosis, hyperplasia, atrophy and metaplasia of the local mucosa, which is the basis of carcinogenesis.