What are the examination methods for tongue cancer

How many methods are there to check for tongue cancer? In addition to discovering tongue cancer through symptoms, scientific examinations are also required to confirm the diagnosis before treatment can be started. This can also ensure that misdiagnosis and mistreatment will not occur. So how many methods are there to check for tongue cancer? Let us learn about it through this article.

1. MRI:

It has the characteristics of high soft tissue resolution, multi-plane and multi-sequence imaging, can show the whole picture of soft tissue lesions and stereoscopic positioning, can show lesions at an early stage, and is superior to CT in terms of vascular invasion and tumor staging. It is a better imaging examination method for the oropharynx. Tongue cancer can be easily found based on MRI signal and morphological changes. Enhanced scanning can further clarify the scope of the tumor and identify the histological nature of the tumor based on the curve of enhancement change over time.

2. B-ultrasound:

Evaluate the size, shape, number and relationship of the metastatic lymph nodes with the important blood vessels in the neck. Ultrasound images show that the metastatic lymph nodes are mostly round and low-echoic, and sometimes have uneven echoes.

3. Routine X-ray examination:

Mandibular surface X-rays are used to understand the bone destruction of the mandible, and chest X-rays are used to understand whether there are any metastatic lesions in the lungs.

4. Laboratory examination:

Routine blood tests are generally normal, but patients in the late stage often have changes such as erythropenia and accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

5. Pathological biopsy:

Qualitative diagnostic criteria for tongue cancer: 0.5-1 cm of tissue is cut from the junction of normal tissue and tumor under block anesthesia for examination. The sutures do not need to be too tight and should be removed as soon as possible. Surgery should be performed as soon as possible after pathological diagnosis.

6. CT:

CT has a low soft tissue resolution and is difficult to show small or tongue body tumors. It mainly shows the scope of tumor infiltration and is the best means to determine the invasion of cortical bone, which is manifested as interruption or erosion of cortical bone. The normal tongue CT shows symmetric bilateral structures with the tongue septum, midline, and median suture as the midline, and oblique longitudinal strip-shaped low-density areas. The area is tongue intermuscular fat tissue and the position and size are saddle-symmetrical. The typical manifestation of tongue cancer CT is a round low- or slightly high-density area of ​​the tongue, and the enhancement is ring-shaped or uneven.