How is tongue cancer treated?

Tongue cancer is a treatable cancer. Your options for its treatment depend on the type, location, and stage of the tongue cancer you have. Tongue cancer treatments have the potential to affect your speech and swallowing, so treatments are planned strategically to allow you to maintain as much function as possible.

Most tongue cancers can be removed surgically through the mouth. A cold knife or a laser may also be used during the operation to eliminate the cancer.

For cancers of the base of the tongue, robotic surgery, which provides easier access, is used. Typically, this operation is safe and effective and offers faster recovery times compared with standard surgical approaches.

In some situations, such as large cancers or cancers that have spread to the neck, an approach performed through an incision in the neck may be used to remove the cancer and the lymph nodes.

After the tumor is removed, if a large part of the tongue has been taken out, repair with pieces of tissue taken from another part of the body may be needed so that the tongue can carry out its speech and swallowing functions.

During tongue cancer surgery, we work together with pathologists who analyze the tissue to make sure that all of the cancer has been removed.

Radiation therapy may be an option for early or advanced tongue cancer. Advanced radiotherapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy, which limits radiation exposure to nearby normal tissue, are used for this.

For tongue cancer that has recurred or spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy may be recommended to slow the growth of the cancer.