How to check if you have tongue cancer

How to check if you have tongue cancer

How to check if you have tongue cancer? Like other cancers, tongue cancer has no obvious symptoms in the early stages. In addition, people have a fluke mentality, so it is not possible to detect and treat it in time. It is often because the condition worsens and you go to the hospital for examination that you find out that you have tongue cancer. So how to check if you have tongue cancer?

Tongue cancer has a short course and develops quickly. In the early stage, a small hard lump can be seen on the tongue, shaped like a bean, which gradually forms a noticeable swelling, and a small ulcer with a slightly raised edge appears in the center of the lump. It is hard and painless at first, or grows like a fungus, with a large head and a small stalk. Pain and erosion may occur, which is more severe in the morning and evening. The lesion gradually spreads to the deep and surrounding tissues. When combined with infection, it causes more severe pain, which can radiate to the face and ear on the same side.

The disease is highly invasive. Cancer can extensively affect the tongue muscles, restricting the movement of the tongue, affecting speaking, eating and swallowing, and causing a lot of drooling with a foul odor. When the floor of the mouth is invaded or the entire tongue is involved beyond the midline, the tongue is in a completely fixed state, causing difficulty in opening the mouth to swallow. Cancer ulcers can bleed and can invade the gums, and even cause swollen and hard ulcers in the neck and jaw. Invasion of the jaw floor and jawbone can penetrate the tongue and cheeks, causing soup to flow out. In the late stage, tissue necrosis, bleeding, nutritional disorders and aspiration pneumonia are often complicated. About 2/3 of patients with this disease have cervical lymphadenopathy. The most common site of metastatic lymph nodes is under the digastric muscle, followed by the submandibular. As the disease progresses, the number of metastatic lymph nodes increases and can spread to the ipsilateral clavicle and the contralateral neck. Hematogenous metastasis may occur in the late stage.

1. Pathological examination

For tongue nodules, erosions or ulcers, especially those on the lateral edge of the tongue, if there is no improvement or continues to grow after 2 to 3 weeks of treatment, this disease should be considered and a biopsy is required to confirm the diagnosis. The sample should be taken from the edge of the tumor and include some normal tissue. If the sample is shallow, cancerous tissue is often not found.

2. Cervical Lymph Node Biopsy

This disease often metastasizes to the cervical lymph nodes, especially under the digastric muscle and submandibular. The neck should be carefully examined and a cervical lymph node biopsy should be performed when necessary, which is of certain significance in the diagnosis and staging of the disease.

<<:  What test can accurately detect tongue cancer

>>:  What are the causes of tongue cancer?

Recommend

Is kidney cancer hereditary in men?

Kidney cancer is a malignant tumor that mainly oc...

What to eat to gain muscle and weight

For many fitness friends, in order to make the mu...

Why is chicken red

Many people are very confused about why chicken l...

How to use tampons

Tampons are another built-in female hygiene produ...

What is the difference between cupping and scraping

Cupping and scraping are both very traditional me...

What is the effect of applying cooling oil to the anus

In the eyes of many people, cooling oil is a very...

What is the cause of forehead acne

If acne is not treated in time, it will not only ...

Can brain cancer patients eat chicken?

Brain tumor is a general term for intracranial tu...

What are the benefits of washing your face with purslane boiled water

There are many herbs in life, and some of them ha...

How to diagnose hamartoma

Many people are afraid of hamartomas, which can c...

What should I do if my heart vessels are blocked?

Vascular blockage is very common in clinical prac...

What to do with contact lens slips

Nowadays, more and more people are suffering from...

Can endometrial cancer metastasize?

Can endometrial cancer metastasize? 1. Most endom...