Tongue cancer history and symptoms

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Simrat Sarai, M.D. [2]

Overview

Symptoms of tongue cancer include a red or white patch on the tongue, sore throat, an ulcer or lump on the tongue, pain on swallowing, speaking, or moving the tongue, numbness in the mouth, bleeding from the tongue, pain in the ear, and pain in the mouth or tongue.

History

• The initial history should evaluate the duration the lesion has been present, the rapidness of the growth of lesion, the presence of pain, weight loss, dysphagia, odynophagia, reffered otalgia, hemoptysis, neck mass, hoarseness, and articulation difficulties. The patient should also be questioned for a personal history of tobacco and alcohol use.
• The initial history should evaluate the patient's swallowing and dietary status. The majority of tongue cancer patients present with malnutrition associated with an alcoholism history or as a result of dysphagia from the enlarging tumor. The patient should also be asked about any changes in speech which may give an indication of the location, functional impairment and severity of the tumor extent.

Symptoms

• Tongue cancers may grow to significant size before they cause symptoms. Approximately three fourths of the tongue cancers occur in the mobile tongue, which is most often well differentiated. Cancer cells may spread easily and the tumor becomes symptomatic only when tumor size interferes with tongue mobility.

• Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue may arise in normal epithelium, in an area of chronic glossitis, or in areas of leukoplakia. These lesions are usually larger than 2 cm at presentation and the lateral border of the tongue is the most common subsite of origin.
• When the lateral border is involved, the patient may develop speech and swallowing dysfunction. When the tumor involves the lingual nerve, pain occurs and this pain may be referred to the ear.
• Tongue cancers that involve the base of the tongue are clinically silent until they deeply infiltrate the tongue musculature. They are usually less differentiated. Tongue cancer may extend into the oral tongue or have clinical lymph metastases before the diagnosis is established.

The symptoms of tongue cancer includes the following:

• A red or white patch on the tongue
• Sore throat
• An ulcer or lump on the tongue
• Pain on swallowing, speaking, or moving the tongue
• Numbness in the mouth
• Unexplained bleeding from the tongue (that is not caused by biting the tongue or from other injury)
• Pain in the ear
• Pain in the mouth or tongue