Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It Looks LikeSymptomsStagesCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionOutlook
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What It Looks Like
Symptoms
Stages
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Outlook
Tongue cancer is a type ofhead and neck cancerthat can develop in the front or back of the tongue. When tongue cancer originates in the front two-thirds of the tongue, it’s thought of asoral or mouth cancer. If it originates in the back or base of your tongue, it’s considered to be oropharynx or throat cancer.
Early-stage tongue cancer hassymptomsthat may be overlooked or confused with other conditions, like mouth ulcers.
Tongue cancer is relatively rare. According to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, tongue cancer cases accounted for 0.9% of all new cancers in 2023.
This article will discuss the causes, risk factors, symptoms, and treatments of this condition. It will also touch on prevention strategies and outlook.
Verywell / Laura Porter
What Does Tongue Cancer Look Like?
Early-stage tongue cancer can take on the appearance of a red or white patch, grayish-pink or red mouth sore, or lump. If the lump is located on the side of your tongue, it may get large enough to touch your teeth. It may also bleed easily.Tongue cancer that starts near the base of the tongue may go unnoticed until symptoms progress.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoReproduced with permission from © DermNetdermnetnz.org2023.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Reproduced with permission from © DermNetdermnetnz.org2023.
Tongue cancer is often discovered during a routine dental exam. Early detection of this condition is one reason why seeing your dentist for regular checkups is important.
Tongue Cancer Symptoms
The most common symptoms of tongue cancer are:
What Are the Stages of Tongue Cancer?
The stage of your cancer is based on the tumor size and how extensively it has spread. The higher the stage’s number and letter, the more severe the spread has become.
Knowing your cancer’s stage is important. This information will be used to determine your treatment options and prognosis (likely course of the disease). A cancer specialist, such as an oncologist, will analyze every cancer characteristic and combination of characteristics to determine your cancer’s stage.
The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) revised staging for oral cavity and oropharynx cancer in 2017. Newer staging versions are published when revised. The following is given as a general example. Discuss your staging with your oncology team.
In general, the stages of non-HPV-related tongue cancer include:
Tongue Cancer Causes and Risk Factors
Anyone can get tongue cancer. The most common demographic group for this condition is people who were assigned male at birth and are over 40 years old.
Most instances of tongue cancer originate insquamous cells. This type of cancer is referred to as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Squamous cells are flat, skin-like cells located in the epithelium, as well as other structures in the body.
If you have a family history of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, you may be at a higher risk for tongue cancer and other types of oral cancer.
As mentioned, tongue cancer may result from HPV infection. The strains that are responsible for causing tongue cancer are HPV 16 and HPV 18.
Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol to excess are significant risk factors for this condition. Smokers have a 5 times greater risk of getting tongue cancer than nonsmokers.If you’ve already had tongue cancer, you’re at a greater risk of getting it again if you continue to smoke cigarettes or drink to excess.
Chewingsmokeless tobaccoor betel nut (a plant stimulant from the areca palm chewed in Southeast Asia and the Pacific) is also a potential cause of this condition.
How Is Tongue Cancer Diagnosed?
If a physical exam uncovers symptoms of tongue cancer, testing will be done to confirm the diagnosis or to uncover a different cause.
A specialist, such as an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose, and throat doctor, or ENT), will examine your entire head and neck region. They’ll look for swollen lymph nodes and other symptoms, like tumors or lumps on the tongue.
They may use small mirrors or tools like an endoscope to get a full view of the back of your tongue.Anendoscopeis a flexible tube with a camera on the end that can be inserted into the mouth or other orifice.
If you smoke and drink heavily, your healthcare provider may also check for lung and esophageal cancer (cancer of the esophagus, the food tube) since these cancers sometimes accompany tongue cancer. This is done with an endoscope during a surgical procedure called a panendoscopy.
As a next step, you’ll undergo a biopsy. The location of the suspicious area will determine whether the biopsy is done in a doctor’s office or as a surgical procedure.
During the biopsy, a tiny piece of tissue will be extracted from the suspicious area. A pathologist (specialist in anatomic and laboratory medicine) will view the tissue under a microscope to look for cancer cells. They will also test for evidence of an HPV infection.
How Is Tongue Cancer Treated?
If testing uncovers tongue cancer, a treatment plan will be put in place for you. Factors that may determine your treatment include:
In many instances where the cancer has not spread to distant sites, surgical removal of the cancer will be used as a first-line treatment.In some instances, a portion of the tongue may be removed. When this level of surgery is needed, the removed area may also be reconstructed.
Additional treatments may be recommended, either alone or with other therapies. They include:
Can Tongue Cancer Be Prevented?
If you smoke, use tobacco products, or drink alcohol to excess, you’re putting yourself at increased risk for tongue and other types of cancer. It can be hard to give up unhealthy habits, but doing so is a powerful way to reduce your risk for this disease.
When you’re ready, talk to your healthcare provider aboutsmoking cessation aids, likenicotine patches, that can help.
If you suspect that you may have alcohol use disorder, or if you drink heavily and wish to stop or cut down,treatmentscan help. They include medications, behavioral therapy, and 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous.
Gettingvaccinatedagainst HPV is another powerful preventative. HPV vaccines are available for people ages 9 through 45.
Other preventive measures include:
What’s the Outlook for Someone With Tongue Cancer?
When caught early, tongue cancer can be cured.There is always a chance for recurrence, especially if you continue to smoke or drink alcohol.
The stage and type of cancer you have will both affect your post-treatment outlook. So will your body’s response to treatment. Tongue cancer can be fast-growing, so early detection and treatment are pivotal to outlook and prognosis.
Data from the SEER database gives these five-year relative survival rates for tongue cancer:
Keep in mind that these are based on averages for all people with tongue cancer. Your individual prognosis will be based on factors specific to your case. These percentages are also based on the experiences of people who were diagnosed with tongue cancer at least five years ago. The statistics do not reflect improvements in treatments.
Summary
Tongue cancer is a type of head and neck cancer. It can affect either the front or base of the tongue.
Often, tongue cancer is discovered during regular dental checkups. If you or your healthcare provider suspects tongue cancer, testing will be done to confirm or eliminate the diagnosis.
The stage and type of cancer you have will play a role in your prognosis. Cure or remission is possible, especially when the cancer is caught at an early stage.
Cigarette smoking and drinking alcohol to excess are strong risk factors for this disease. HPV infection can also be a cause.
17 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Tongue cancer.National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: tongue cancer.Cedars Sinai.Tongue cancer.American Cancer Society.Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer stages.American College of Surgeons. AJCC Cancer Staging System, 8th Edition. 2017.Canadian Cancer Society.Risk factors for oral cancer.American Cancer Society.Tests for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers.Cancer Research UK.Treatment options for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.Parmar A, Macluskey M, Mc Goldrick N, et al.Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: chemotherapy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021;12(12):CD006386. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006386.pub4National Cancer Institute.Targeted therapy to treat cancer.Cancer Research Institute.Immunotherapy in-depthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.HPV vaccine.American Cancer Society.Can oral and oropharyngeal cancers be prevented?American Cancer Society.Can cancer be cured?Myers D, Allen E, Essa A, Gbadamosi-Akindele M.Rapidly growing squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.Cureus. 2020;12(3):e7164. doi:10.7759/cureus.7164Cancer Research UK.Survival for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.American Cancer Society.Survival rates for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer.
17 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Tongue cancer.National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: tongue cancer.Cedars Sinai.Tongue cancer.American Cancer Society.Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer stages.American College of Surgeons. AJCC Cancer Staging System, 8th Edition. 2017.Canadian Cancer Society.Risk factors for oral cancer.American Cancer Society.Tests for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers.Cancer Research UK.Treatment options for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.Parmar A, Macluskey M, Mc Goldrick N, et al.Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: chemotherapy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021;12(12):CD006386. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006386.pub4National Cancer Institute.Targeted therapy to treat cancer.Cancer Research Institute.Immunotherapy in-depthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.HPV vaccine.American Cancer Society.Can oral and oropharyngeal cancers be prevented?American Cancer Society.Can cancer be cured?Myers D, Allen E, Essa A, Gbadamosi-Akindele M.Rapidly growing squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.Cureus. 2020;12(3):e7164. doi:10.7759/cureus.7164Cancer Research UK.Survival for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.American Cancer Society.Survival rates for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Tongue cancer.National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: tongue cancer.Cedars Sinai.Tongue cancer.American Cancer Society.Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer stages.American College of Surgeons. AJCC Cancer Staging System, 8th Edition. 2017.Canadian Cancer Society.Risk factors for oral cancer.American Cancer Society.Tests for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers.Cancer Research UK.Treatment options for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.Parmar A, Macluskey M, Mc Goldrick N, et al.Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: chemotherapy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021;12(12):CD006386. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006386.pub4National Cancer Institute.Targeted therapy to treat cancer.Cancer Research Institute.Immunotherapy in-depthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.HPV vaccine.American Cancer Society.Can oral and oropharyngeal cancers be prevented?American Cancer Society.Can cancer be cured?Myers D, Allen E, Essa A, Gbadamosi-Akindele M.Rapidly growing squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.Cureus. 2020;12(3):e7164. doi:10.7759/cureus.7164Cancer Research UK.Survival for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.American Cancer Society.Survival rates for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Tongue cancer.
National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: tongue cancer.
Cedars Sinai.Tongue cancer.
American Cancer Society.Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer stages.
American College of Surgeons. AJCC Cancer Staging System, 8th Edition. 2017.
Canadian Cancer Society.Risk factors for oral cancer.
American Cancer Society.Tests for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers.
Cancer Research UK.Treatment options for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.
Parmar A, Macluskey M, Mc Goldrick N, et al.Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: chemotherapy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021;12(12):CD006386. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006386.pub4
National Cancer Institute.Targeted therapy to treat cancer.
Cancer Research Institute.Immunotherapy in-depth
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.HPV vaccine.
American Cancer Society.Can oral and oropharyngeal cancers be prevented?
American Cancer Society.Can cancer be cured?
Myers D, Allen E, Essa A, Gbadamosi-Akindele M.Rapidly growing squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.Cureus. 2020;12(3):e7164. doi:10.7759/cureus.7164
Cancer Research UK.Survival for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.
American Cancer Society.Survival rates for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer.
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