Cat Got Your Tongue?
Tongue Cancer
Tongue cancer affects the tongue and the oropharynx (part of the throat). Two of the known causes of tongue cancer include; smoking and alcohol. Some of the symptoms of tongue cancer are; red or white spots on the tongue that will not go away. Other symtoms may include bleeding (that is not from biting of the tongue), numbness, sore throat, and sore mouth that doesn't go away.
Treating Tongue Cancer
There are a few ways to treat tongue cancer; surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the three different ways doctors use to cure tongue cancer. Sometimes the doctor will do a combination of them. In the worst case of tongue cancer, the doctor may have to remove the tongue. Getting the tongue removed can cause changes in speech, looks, eating, and drinking. Make sure you talk to your doctor and ask a lot of questions before you have your tongue removed, because you can’t get another one!
