Learning About Tongue Cancer
- Lynn Hunt, a mom of two from the United Kingdom, had a “sore” spot in her mouth, which she initially was there from biting the area, but it turned out to be the most common type of tongue cancer called called squamous cell carcinoma. After undergoing surgery and radiotherapy, she’s now set to undergo more surgery as her cancer has returned but not spread.
- A mouth sore may be painful and inflamed from the start but heal within two or three weeks. On the other hand, a cancerous lump may not be painful in the early stages and it won’t get better over time.
- 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.
- It’s much more common to know someone who has a head or neck cancer, like tongue cancer, nowadays than it was several decades ago. And that’s because of its strong connection to HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.
- It should be noted that it’s unknown what exactly caused Lynn Hunt’s tongue cancer.
Hunt initially noticed two white dots, which felt sore or like she had “bitten” her tongue, back in March 2023. One month later, she sent photos to her doctor, as the “sore” spot, which was the same color as her tongue but appeared “almost like a crater,” turned into more of an ulcer.
Read More@lynnhunt27 Replying to @corycoffeymagers #tonguecancer #cancer #squamouscellcarcinoma #cancerfighter #CancerSurvivor #tonguecancersurvivor
In a recent interview, according to Newsweek, Hunt recounted asking her oncologist “how has this happened?” and further explaining, “I didn’t drink alcohol, worked out six days a week, and hadn’t touched a cigarette in over two decades. The oncologist said that cancer doesn’t discriminate, it can happen to anyone.”
Less than a week after her diagnosis, Hunt underwent a 12-hour surgery to have the cancer taken out and had 38 lymph nodes removed from her neck.
Hunt, who had to relearn how to swallow and speak before leaving the hospital another week later, ultimately learned the cancer hadn’t spread but needed to undergo 30 rounds of radiotherapy for about a month and a half.
The loving mom, whose doctors discovered precancerous cells on her tongue 14 months after the initial surgery and had those cells removed with a laser, has been going for routine checkups every two months since, and just this month, her cancer has since returned.
She captioned a TikTok post from last week, “Update on my cancer that has come back on my lower gum/jaw after tongue cancer surgery 2 years ago. Here we go again but much worse.”
However, despite the news, and having to undergo another lengthy surgery, Hunt strives to remain positive and hope for the best.
@lynnhunt27 !! TW !! THE LAST PHOTO IS A BIT GRAPHIC – Photos of the start of where I thought I had bitten my tongue to find out it was right lateral tingue squamous cell carcinoma and after surgery to remove and replace with radial forearm free flap & neck dissection and radiotherapy side effect ulcers#ra#radiotherapyo#tonguecancere#headandneckcancersurvivore#headandneckcancera#radiotherapysideeffectsa#cancery#lymphnodesq#squamouscellcarcinomae#neckdissection
She said a few days ago, “Here is the results of what has been a stressful day, so … it has not gone anywhere else. It has not gone in my lungs, it is not in my lymph nodes at the moment … it’s all contained down here [pointing to one side of her lower face], which was just the best news out of the bad news.”
Hunt said she will soon undergo a 14-hour operation and have a tracheostomy (called a tracheotomy), which Johns Hopkins Medicine describes as “an opening surgically created through the neck into the trachea (windpipe) to allow air to fill the lungs” which “after creating the tracheostomy opening in the neck, surgeons insert a tube through it to provide an airway and to remove secretions from the lungs.”
She also explained how she will be “cut from ear to ear” to remove lymph nodes from the other side of her throat.
“The only option was to do surgery because I’ve already radiotherapy,” she added, noting that she now feels like she’s “been dealt with a card that could’ve been worse.”
We admire her incredible optimism throughout her cancer journey, as it’s something many people battling cancer can admire.
Tongue Cancer: Understanding the Cause of Head & Neck Cancers
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.
- 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, as per Cedars-Sinai include:
- Smoking and drinking alcohol [smokers are 5x more likely to develop tongue cancer than nonsmokers]
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- African-American men have a greater risk than caucasians
It’s unclear what led to Hunt’s diagnosis, but it’s important to understand that symptoms of tongue cancer can 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
Tongue cancer may be hard to spot in its early stages, however, when the cancer develops, patients may experience trouble with swallowing, voice changes, pain in the ear, pain in the throat, or a feeling of fullness in the throat.
HPV and Cancer Risk: The Basics
As for how throat cancer is diagnosed, it’s usually done through X-rays, CT scans, and PET scans. A diagnosis often requires a biopsy.
For tongue cancer treatment, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are usually done.
More On HPV-Related Cancers
- Get the Facts: What Do We Know About HPV-Linked Throat Cancer?
- The HPV Vaccine Gardasil Now Approved For Prevention of Head & Neck Cancers– As Cases Rise in Men
- Majority of Throat Cancer Diagnoses Are Caused by HPV – Here’s What You Need to Know
- HPV-Related Cancers Are on the Rise And More Than 70 Cancer Centers Call for Urgent Action to Increase Vaccinations; What You Need to Know to Protect Your Child’s Health
- ‘Controversial’ HPV Vaccine Shown to be Highly Effective in Wiping Out Cervical Cancer
- Millions More Americans Now Eligible to be Vaccinated Against HPV-Related Cancers
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, and president and scientific director of University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio, told SurvivorNet during a previous interview.
The vast majority of humans 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 percent 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.
Leading Experts Urge Patients to Be Proactive
As we highlight in several areas of SurvivorNet, highly respected doctors sometimes disagree on the right course of treatment for an ailment, and advances in medicine are always creating new options. Also, in some instances the specific course of treatment is not clear cut.
That’s even more reason why understanding the potential approaches to your disease is crucial.
Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions
Furthermore, getting another opinion may also help you avoid doctor biases. For example, when seeking care for cancer, some surgeons may have an affiliation with a radiation center.
“So there may be a conflict of interest if you present to a surgeon that is recommending radiation because there is some ownership of that type of facility,” Dr. Jim Hu, director of robotic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
Other reasons to get a second opinion include:
- To see a doctor who has more experience treating your type of disease
- You have a rare disease
- There are several ways to treat your illness
- You feel like your doctor isn’t listening to you, or isn’t giving you good advice
- You have trouble understanding your doctor
- You don’t like the treatment your doctor is recommending, or you’re worried about its possible side effects
- Your insurance company wants you to get another medical opinion
Bottom line, being proactive about your health could be a matter of life or death. Learn as much as you can from as many experts as you can, so that you know that you did your best to take control of your health.
Handling Fear When You Get the Diagnosis
Cancer is said to be one of the most challenging experiences for a human to go through. It would be very out of the ordinary if you weren’t scared. Anxiety and fear are totally normal reactions to the news that you have breast cancer. Acknowledging these emotions can be therapeutic and important to the healing process.
So how do you confront your fears without letting them take over entirely?
1. Let your family and close friends know and let them help. So many cancer survivors tell us they want and need support but are often too preoccupied to make specific requests. Urge those close to you to jump in with whatever practical help they can offer.
2. Keep a journal. It can be extremely cathartic to let those feelings loose on paper. Grab a pen and a nice journal and chronical your different thoughts throughout the day.
3. Join a cancer support group. There are groups in nearly every community offering opportunities to connect with others going through a similar journey. You’ll learn incredibly helpful insight from others who can tell you about what to expect and how to stay strong on tough days.
4. Consider seeing a therapist. Ask your doctor to refer you to a therapist so you can discuss your fears and concerns in a safe space. Often, vocalizing your thoughts and feelings rather than internalizing them can provide relief. Above all, just know that there are countless resources and support here for you to turn to at any time.
Feel the Fear, and Let it Go — Meditation for Cancer Survivors
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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