tongue cancer

What is tongue cancer?

There are two parts to your tongue, the oral tongue and the base of the tongue. Cancer can develop in either part. The oral tongue is the part you see when you ‘poke your tongue out’ at someone. This is the front two thirds of your tongue. Cancers that develop in this part of the tongue come under a group of cancers called mouth (oral) cancer.

The base of the tongue is the back third of the tongue. This part is very near your throat (pharynx). Cancers that develop in this part are called oropharyngeal cancers (pronounced oar-o-farin-gee-al).

Types of tongue cancer

The most common type of tongue cancer is squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA). Squamous cells are the flat, skin-like cells that cover the lining of the mouth, nose, larynx, thyroid and throat. Squamous cell carcinoma is the name given to a cancer that starts in these cells.

Symptoms

The symptoms of tongue cancer may include

A red or white patch on the tongue, that will not go away

A sore throat that does not go away

A sore spot on the tongue that does not go away

Pain when swallowing

Numbness in the mouth that will not go away

Unexplained bleeding from the tongue (that is, not caused by biting your tongue or other injury)

Pain in the ear (rare)

Do bear in mind that these symptoms may be due to a less serious medical condition. But it is important to check symptoms with your GP just to make sure