Shirley Chung's Tongue Cancer Battle
- “Top Chef” alum Shirley Chung is now in “100% remission” from stage four tongue cancer, a type of oral cancer that is also referred to as a head and neck cancer, and continuing to heal from her 11-month battle.
- Chung, 48, was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma tongue cancer. on May 30, 2024. After deciding not to undergo surgery to remove her tongue, she moved to Chicago and began radiation and chemo treatments.
- Tongue cancer doesn’t always show signs, but symptoms can include: a lump on the side of the tongue that touches the teeth, pain, a sense of fullness in the throat, difficulty swallowing, the feeling of a lump in the neck or throat, voice changes and ear pain.
- Tongue cancer is more commonly found in people older than 40. In addition, tongue cancer is twice as common in men, and smokers are five times more likely to develop tongue cancer than nonsmokers.
- Learning to live with and cope with the scars and reminders of cancer treatment is something so many survivors struggle with — and fans have continued to admire Chung’s strength and positivity as she underwent the cancer treatment process.
The 48-year-old Chinese-American chef, who also recently got her G-tube (gastrostomy tube/feeding tube) removed, took to social media this week to commemorate her most recent scans showing no sign of disease.
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She continued, “Since 100% removal of my tongue was not an option for me as a chef. I moved to Chicago, started radiation + chemo treatments in @uchicago under Dr Vokes and Dr.Juloori’s care. I completed 9 weeks, 27 chemos, then 10 weeks 50 radiation and 24 hour chemo drip.
“My first 3 month scans came back 98% cleared, only 2 of my left lymph nodes had cancer cells. I just completed my 6 month scans, I can proudly say, no cancer cell was detected in my body, I am in 100% Remission!!”
After admitting that her “healing” journey is ongoing and she just started eating solid foods twice a day, she said her doctor advised her that she’ll need “get tests and scans for two years” … until she can be “officially cured.”
Chung explained further, “But I am feeling great, and can’t wait to get back to life! In my cancer journey, so many of you reaching out, checking on me, digging me out when I was depressed.
“Your love, your prayers, your support carried me forward, helped me heal, helped me always see the light. 2.0 is stronger because I am powered by all of your love. Sincerely Thank You from the bottom of my heart.”
She concluded, “I will share details of my fighting journey in the next few weeks, and I hope it will help other cancer warriors, it’s time for me to pay it forward.”
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Shirley Chung’s Tongue Cancer Diagnosis
Chung, who made the difficult decision to close her L.A. restaurant called Ms. Chi Cafe while she focused on her recovery, first announced her diagnosis in July 2024.
“I have some personal news to share with you. Since last year December, I had a series of dental issues, I bit my tongue severely; I fractured my tooth and had to extract it and get an implant… we thought it was because I am a heavy teeth grinder,” she said in an Instagram post.
“And I was too busy to see a EMT specialist. The end of May, ulcers erupted in my mouth and my oral surgeon discovered a hidden tumor under my tongue. A few days later, I was diagnosed, stage 4 tongue cancer, as cancer cells also spread into my lymph nodes.”
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Shortly after receiving her diagnosis, all Chung said she heard was “‘option 1, surgery, 100% removal of your tongue.'”
Thankfully, Chung’s determination to find another treatment option led her doctor to tell her and her husband about a special case that took place at the University of Chicago. It was there they were told about how another person battling tongue cancer was cured through chemotherapy and radiation, something she described as a “unicorn case.”
“Higher survival rate, or keep my tongue? I chose to keep my tongue, I am a fighter, I am a chef, I can be that unicorn too,” Chung said at the time.
By December 2024, Chung shared a celebratory Instagram post, revealing that she hit a milestone in her cancer treatment: 10 weeks of radiation and chemo treatments.
She went through some challenging side effects, that made it difficult to sleep, eat, and even drink water.
Chung later revealed she has since been able to drink smoothies again, as well as eat soups, ice cream and egg custard.
After noting her taste buds are slowing returning to normal, she added, “I can taste 50% of sweet and savory and all the warm spices.”
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- Get the Facts: What Do We Know About HPV-Linked Throat Cancer?
- Having Oral Sex With Multiple Partners Can Increase Risk for Throat Cancer, Says New Study
- 6 Well-Known Figures Who Battled Throat Cancer, Including Eddie Van Halen, Val Kilmer, and Bob Denver
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Chung also recounted having an emergency surgery to replace her “G tube,” otherwise known as a gastrostomy tube, which is surgically placed in one’s body through the abdomen to the stomach to bring in nutrition, fluids, and medicine.
Her most recent procedure was to have her “G-tube” removed, which she has celebrated as just another step in her healing process.
A G-tube is a “gastrostomy feeding tube insertion” which is put in place through something called an endoscopy, MedlinePlus reports.
The procedure is performed for a variety of reasons and some people only have the G-tube in for a short period of time, though they can also be left in permanently.
‘Adversity and the Art of Happiness,’ How Hardship Makes You Stronger
Tongue Cancer: A Type of Head & Neck Cancer
According to Cedars-Sinai, several types of cancer develop in the tongue, with the most common being squamous cell carcinoma.
The two types of tongue cancer are:
- Cancer of the oral tongue, which consists of the front two-thirds of the tongue that you can stick out
- Cancer of the base of the tongue, the area which is the back one-third of the tongue that extends down the throat
Although some people may be diagnosed with tongue cancer and have no risk factors, Cedars-Sinai says this type of cancer is most commonly found in adults 40 years old and up. Men are also twice as likely to be diagnosed with tongue cancer.
Other risk factors include:
- Smoking [smokers are 5x more likely to develop tongue cancer than nonsmokers]
- Drinking alcohol
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
African-American men also have a greater risk than caucasians.
Tongue cancer may be hard to spot in its early stages, however it’s important to be aware of the symptoms, as catching the disease earlier will lead to an easier treatment path.
Symptoms might include:
- An unusual lump on the side of the tongue
- An ulcer-like lump, of a grayish-pink to red color
- A lump that bleeds easily when touched
- Trouble swallowing
- Voice changes
- Pain in the ear
- Pain in the throat
- Feeling of fullness in the throat
HPV and Cancer Risk: The Basics
Throat cancer is usually diagnosed through X-rays, CT scans, and PET scans. A diagnosis also often requires a biopsy.
For tongue cancer treatment, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are usually done.
It’s much more common to know someone who has a head or neck cancer, like tongue cancer, now-a-days than it was several decades ago. And that’s because of its strong connection to the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.
“From the 1980s to the 2010s, the rate of HPV-related head and neck cancers has gone up by 300 percent,” Dr. Ted Teknos, a head and neck cancer specialist at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio, told SurvivorNet during a previous interview.
More On HPV-Related Cancers
- Don’t be Swayed by Myths: The HPV Vaccine is Completely Safe
- 7 Signs of Throat Cancer That Aren’t As Obvious as You’d Think; Knowing What to Look for Is Key
- Get the Facts: What Do We Know About HPV-Linked Throat Cancer?
- Having Oral Sex With Multiple Partners Can Increase Risk for Throat Cancer, Says New Study
- 6 Well-Known Figures Who Battled Throat Cancer, Including Eddie Van Halen, Val Kilmer, and Bob Denver
- ‘Controversial’ HPV Vaccine Shown to be Highly Effective in Wiping Out Cervical Cancer
- Cancer Doctor Explains Why Her Young Kids Are Getting the HPV Vaccine
The vast majority of people in the United States — both men and women — will eventually get infected with HPV, according to Dr. Allen Ho, a head and neck surgeon at Cedars-Sinai.
“The important thing to know about HPV is that there are many different strains, and only a couple of them tend to be more cancer-inducing,” he told SurvivorNet.
“Probably less than 1% of the population who get infected happen to have the cancer-causing virus that somehow their immune system fails to clear, and over 15 to 20 years it develops from a viral infection into a tumor, and a cancer.”
It’s unclear whether HPV alone is enough to trigger the changes in your cells that lead to head and neck cancers, or whether this happens in combination with other risk factors like smoking.
Starting Over After Cancer
As Chung continues to make the most of life after battling cancer, it’s important to be aware that starting over is arduous, but it can be done. Here’s how:
- Examine your thoughts. Take time to reflect on the tragedy or difficulty you are facing. Dr. Scott Irwin tells SurvivorNet that, often, people with cancer and chronic disease are “grieving the change in their life, the future they had imagined is now different.”
- Seek help. Irwin, who directs Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, adds that talk therapy can help people significantly: “It’s about meeting the individual patient where they are and their feelings, how they’ve always dealt with their body image, what the body image changes mean now in their lives and their relationships, and how they can move forward given the new reality.
- Realize that you are not the first. Study the lives of other people who have faced similar difficulties. Dr. Samantha Boardman tells SurvivorNet, “Having support we know is really critical in the healing process.” She adds there is also a benefit in “talking to those who’ve, you know, been through this process, who are maybe a couple of steps ahead of you, who can tell you what it’s like to walk in their shoes and the unbelievable wisdom that one can gain from speaking to them.”
- Visualize the future. Imagine what it will look like for you to start over. Many people find it very helpful to create a vision board. Cut out pictures or quotes or mementos that give you a concrete picture of your future. Look to it when you are feeling down or in need of a lift. The good news? It works.
Starting Over After a Life Changing Event
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
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