Laser Surgery -Cancer of Tongue
The majority of tongue cancers are squalors cell carcinomas. These arise from the lining that covers the muscles of the tongue. The first symptom of cancer of tongue is a small white lesion, lump or ulcer. The small bump may be painless initially, so it may go unnoticed. The tumor may also cause pain in the later stages of the cancer.
Causes of Cancer of Tongue
• Excessive tobacco use
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Chronic irritation from sharp teeth
The symptoms of tongue cancer may include
• A red or white patch on the tongue, that will not go away
• A sore throat that does not go away
• Pain and drooling saliva
• Numbness in the mouth that will not go away
• Unexplained bleeding from the tongue (that is, not caused by biting your tongue or other injury)
• Pain in the ear –referred otlagia
Co2 Laser Excision of early Ca Tongue
Treatment
Treatment of oral cancers depends on the stage of the cancer. If the cancer is caught and diagnosed early, a surgical procedure to remove the tumor may be all that is necessary. If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, radiation and/or chemotherapy may be necessary.
Treating tongue cancer will depend on the size of the cancer and whether or not it has spread to the lymph nodes in your neck. Treatment modalities-
• Surgery
• Radiotherapy
• Chemotherapy
You may have one of these or a combination of treatments. The best treatment for very small tongue cancers is surgery. Laser excision with a good margin may be all that is needed. For larger tumors that have spread to the lymph nodes in the neck, you will most likely have a combination of surgery and radiotherapy. This means having an operation to remove the cancer from your tongue and the lymph nodes in your neck -a radical neck dissection… Post op radiotherapy eradicates the left over cancer cells, if any
If your cancer has grown so big that it affects most of your tongue, you may need to have an operation to remove your tongue Hemiglossectomy. This is a mutilating surgery, the last resort.
For Appointment- call 0471-2334561/62/63/64, 6452020,407822 Fax-0471-2330925
Email: drpaulose@yahoo.com
Clinic hours: 8AM -1 PM Mon-Wed-Friday
(Operation Days Tue-Thu-and Saturdays)
About Dr Paulose, FRCS (The World Class ENT Surgeon) 