Tongue Cancer

Treatment

Treatment for tongue cancer depends on how big the tumor is and how far the cancer has spread. That said, early mouth cancer that hasn’t spread can usually be treated with a small operation to remove the affected area.

• Surgery: Surgery is the primary treatment option in patients diagnosed with early-stage tongue cancer. In advanced-stage tongue cancer, surgery with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy is the treatment of choice. The complexity of surgery depends upon the stage of tongue cancer. Local wide excision is the treatment for early-stage tongue cancer. However, advanced-stage tongue cancer is treated with more complex surgeries, such as glossectomy (removal of a section of or complete tongue). Reconstructive surgeries are usually performed simultaneously or later to restore the remaining functioning of the tongue.
• Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is usually performed with surgery and chemotherapy (Chemoradiation). The oncologists recommend radiation therapy in cases where the surgery is not possible, or where there is an increased risk of recurrence. Radiation therapy shrinks the tumor size for smooth resection when used before the surgery. It also kills the remaining cancer cells when used after the surgery. Radiation therapy is also used in treatment of aggressive or high-grade tongue cancer or if the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes, blood vessels, and nerves.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy in tongue cancer treatment is usually delivered as adjuvant therapy, surgery, or radiation therapy. Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are generally preferred over chemotherapy or combined with chemotherapy.
• Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy drugs boost the immune system cells and make them effective in identification and destruction of cancer cells. Immune cells are capable of killing cancer cells. However, in some cases, the cancer cells undergo mutation, develop the process of evading the immune system, and grow and spread inside the body. Immunotherapy drugs interfere with these processes and make the cancer cell vulnerable to getting identified and killed by the immune system. The immunotherapy drugs include PD-1 inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
• Targeted therapy: Cancer cells have vital chemicals, such as enzymes and proteins, that allow them to divide, grow, and spread. Targeted therapy drugs interfere with the functioning of these chemicals and kill cancer cells. Targeted therapy is usually used in the advanced stages of tongue cancer.