Tongue cancer is very harmful to both men and women

Tongue cancer is an oral disease that is very harmful to both men and women. Although the probability of men getting tongue cancer is much higher than that of women, this does not prevent it from causing harm to the bodies of men and women. So, what harm does tongue cancer bring to the bodies of men and women?

1. Tongue cancer is often complicated by infection, and in the late stage it is often complicated by tissue necrosis, hemorrhage, and aspiration pneumonia.

2. Metastasis to the lingual and cervical lymph nodes occurs early, often limited to the pharyngeal and deep cervical lymph nodes. Root ulcers may also occasionally metastasize to the posterior styloid process and retropharyngeal lymph nodes. A small number of patients may have hematogenous metastasis, often to the lungs.

3. In some cases, the early symptoms of tongue cancer include difficulty swallowing, aggravated pain when talking and eating, and may spread to the same side of the ear. In the later stage, the tumor infiltrates into the stratum corneum and spreads to the oral cavity, which may restrict body movement and cause constipation, resulting in drooling, difficulty eating, and systemic nutritional disorders.

4. In the early stage of tongue cancer, there are often nodules or swellings at the edge of the tongue. Later, as the disease progresses, ulceration occurs in the center of the swelling and spreads to the parenchyma and para-epithelial tissue. The ulcer may appear cauliflower-like, with raised edges and an obvious hard infiltrated mass at the base.

Tongue cancer often presents with ulcers and infiltration, accompanied by spontaneous pain and varying degrees of tongue movement disorders. In the late stage of tongue cancer, it can directly exceed the midline or invade the floor of the mouth, as well as infiltrate the lingual periosteum, bone plate or bone of the mandible. It can extend backward to the root of the tongue or the anterior pillar of the pharynx and the lateral wall of the pharynx. At this time, the movement of the tongue can be severely restricted and fixed, and the saliva increases and overflows, and it cannot be controlled. Eating, swallowing, and speaking are all difficult. The pain is severe and can be reflected to half of the head. The lymph node metastasis rate of tongue cancer is relatively high, usually around 40%. The most common metastatic site is the deep cervical lymph node group. In the late stage of tongue cancer, lung metastasis or distant metastasis to other parts may occur.

In daily life, we should pay attention to oral hygiene, brush teeth in the morning and evening, remove residual roots and crowns of teeth, correct inappropriate dentures; strengthen cancer prevention surveys, and achieve early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment. If there is erosion, cracking or ulceration on the tongue surface, we should pay great attention to it; control smoking and drinking, eat less irritating food; timely treat precancerous lesions of tongue cancer, such as severe leukoplakia; papilloma, especially plaque-shaped and wide-based ones, should be surgically removed in time.