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Can You Get Cancer Under Your Tongue?
Tongue cancer and floor of mouth cancer can both cause cancerous lesions under your tongue. Surgery is the main treatment. Oral cancers like these can spread quickly, so early diagnosis and treatment are vital.
Oral cancer is a type of cancer that begins in your mouth. Cancer can develop at any location in your mouth, including under your tongue.
Cancer under the tongue can occur on the underside of the tongue itself or on the floor of the mouth.
It's also possible for other conditions to cause lesions or lumps under your tongue. While these may appear concerning, they're typically benign (noncancerous).
This article covers the types of cancer that can develop under your tongue, what to look for, and how doctors diagnose and treat these cancers. It also discusses other noncancerous conditions that may be mistaken for cancer.
There are two types of oral cancer that can happen under your tongue: tongue cancer and floor of mouth cancer.
Tongue cancer
The tongue is a common site for oral cancer. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that 19,360 new diagnoses of tongue cancer will be made in the United States in 2024.
Floor of mouth cancer
Floor of mouth cancer is a type of oral cancer that develops on the tissue under your tongue. This is called the floor of the mouth.
It's also a common site for oral cancer. A 2020 study involving 305 people with oral cancer found that the floor of the mouth was the most common site (33.8%), followed by the tongue (30.8%).
Potential symptoms of cancer under the tongue include:
Cancer under your tongue happens when cells in this area begin growing out of control. This happens due to DNA changes that affect cell growth and division. These changes can be present from birth or acquired during your lifetime.
Most oral cancers, including tongue and floor of mouth cancers, are squamous cell carcinomas. This is a cancer that develops in the flat cells that line the tissues of the mouth.
The exact cause of oral cancers like tongue and floor of mouth cancer is unknown. However, there are several factors known to increase the risk.
Smoking or chewing tobacco products and heavy alcohol consumption are the major risk factors for tongue and floor of mouth cancer. People with both of these risk factors have a risk of cancer that's 30 times higher than people who don't use tobacco or drink alcohol.
Other factors that may increase the risk of under-tongue cancer include:
The exact treatment you receive for cancer under your tongue can depend on factors like:
Generally, surgery is the main treatment for cancers of the tongue or floor of the mouth. Surgery can involve:
Radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy, may be done after surgery to help get rid of remaining cancer cells. This type of treatment may also be a main treatment option for people who cannot or choose not to have surgery.
If cancer has spread to more distant tissues (metastasis), treatment may include:
Visit a doctor if you have symptoms of under-tongue cancer, such as:
To diagnose cancer or another lesion under your tongue, a doctor will first get your medical history. They will ask about:
They will then closely examine the inside of your mouth and under your tongue. They may also feel your neck for swollen lymph nodes.
To confirm or rule out a diagnosis of cancer, a biopsy is needed. This is done by removing a small area of tissue from under your tongue and checking it in a lab for signs of cancer. A biopsy also helps doctors determine the type of cancer you may have.
If cancer is found, your doctor will want to do more tests to learn whether it has spread. This typically includes imaging tests, like:
If you have an unexplained lesion under your tongue, it may not be cancer. Some benign conditions that can cause similar symptoms include:
Conditions called leukoplakia and erythroplakia can also have similar symptoms to under-tongue cancer. Unlike the conditions listed above, these are considered to be precancerous conditions. This means they have the potential to develop into cancer.
The outlook for people with under-tongue cancer is best when the cancer is diagnosed and treated early before it has the chance to spread further. This is particularly important for oral cancers, as they tend to spread quickly.
The table below shows the 5-year relative survival rates for tongue cancer and floor of mouth cancer by stage, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The relative survival rate is a comparison of the survival of people who have a specific condition with those who do not have the condition over a specific period of time (5 years).
These survival rates include many people with cancer over a long period of time. Due to this, they don't account for individual factors or for recent treatment advances.
Continue reading for answers to some additional frequently asked questions about under-tongue cancer.
Where does cancer under your tongue spread to?
Under-tongue cancer can spread locally to the lymph nodes. The most common metastatic site for oral cancer is the lung. However, other metastatic sites for oral cancer, like the liver and bones, have also been reported.
It's also possible for cancers to spread from somewhere else to the mouth, but this is rare. A 2021 review notes that several cancers, including those of the lung, breast, and kidney, have been reported to spread to the mouth.
Is cancer under your tongue curable?
Yes, under-tongue cancer is curable. If found early, it's possible for cancer under your tongue to be completely removed using surgery, with or without radiation therapy. Early stage cancers are smaller and haven't yet spread into surrounding tissue, so they are easier to treat.
There are two types of oral cancer that can happen under your tongue: tongue cancer and floor of mouth cancer. Tobacco use and heavy alcohol consumption are the two major risk factors for these cancers.
The treatment for under-tongue cancer typically involves surgery, with or without radiation therapy. Other treatments like chemotherapy and targeted therapy may be used if the cancer has spread further.
Oral cancer tends to spread quickly. Because of this, it's vital to visit a doctor if you have any lesions under your tongue, especially if the lesion doesn't go away or bleeds, or you have pain when moving your tongue or speaking. The sooner under-tongue cancer is diagnosed, the better your chances of a good outcome.
As A Person Of Faith, Discovering I Had Cancer Was Hard. The Journey Since Has Been Even Harder.
I'm a very private person. That's just who I am. But the very nature of this story, the personal nature, demands I open up.
In 2022, I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the lower right mandible. I thought it was an abscess. I felt a lump on my lower right jaw and saw it in the mirror when I opened my mouth. It didn't hurt. I thought it was an abscess, which is a buildup of pus from an infection. I thought that because I had a tooth removed at the end of 2021. No, it was a cancerous lesion that would have to be removed. I contacted a Penn Medicine specialist in otorhinolaryngology — head and neck surgery — Karthik Rajasekaran.
In my opinion, cancer, no matter what form, is humanity's enemy number one.
I'm not the kind of man who gives in to fear, and even when the diagnosis was confirmed, my lifetime of spiritual and religious studies, personal convictions, and training in physical and emotional control all kicked in.
I would need it.
The surgery
In June of that year, I underwent surgery. I spent 10 days in the hospital and three months on disability, recovering. The nature of the surgery wasn't just removing the lesion, but also the lower right jawbone. A portion of bone from my right shoulder blade would replace it.
The lower right portion of my face was hugely swollen after surgery and permanently slightly disfigured. I'm vain, I admit it, but my care team at Penn Medicine assured me the swelling would go down, and it did. I didn't need chemotherapy, but six weeks of targeted radiation therapy at the Abramson Cancer Center was necessary.
Before the surgery, the doctor told me I wouldn't be able to turn or lift my head. The procedure changed my center of gravity, necessitating the use of a cane sometimes, and as if that wasn't enough, when I could eat solid foods again, my taste buds were off.
That was the easy part of this journey.
The road of recovery
This is a journey in and through the dark places of the heart, mind, and soul. Really dark places.
My life is twisted inside out. I sleep much more.
Chewing is hard. I soften foods to eat and make thick soups that I puree and eat through a straw. I've lost a lot of weight, which might not seem like a bad thing. But I have a closet full of very nice suits and shirts I can't wear.
Speaking has become a labored process; my resonant, expressive voice is altered. It has improved, but it's been a difficult process. I carefully pronounce some words to be understood. If I talk for about 20 minutes, my jaw starts to ache and saliva seeps down the right side of my mouth.
Oh, did I mention the right lower portion of my face leaks fluid? Both the saliva and the leaking fluid smell. I didn't notice the odor at first. Then my ex-wife, who has an uncanny sense of smell, told me. I keep my neck bandaged and change the dressings twice a day and at bedtime. The dressings are always saturated with fluid in the mornings.
And there's pain. Serious pain. The surgery damaged the nerves of the lower right jawline. It wasn't very bad at first, but as the nerves healed, it worsened. I had never experienced such pain before.
I take gabapentin with two extra-strength Tylenol every eight hours. In between I have oxycodone, a small dose every four hours. It all helps a lot, but God help me, I want to be the healthy, strong man I used to be. Handsome, well-dressed, and articulate. The man I was is gone. I'm adapting to a new reality, and I hate it.
Where I am now
The awful truth is cancer robbed me of who I was. The illness forced me to retire from my position at Ceisler Media and Issue Advocacy. I still have a piece of my career, doing independent journalism for the Delaware Valley Journal and opinion pieces in The Inquirer. Sometimes I get a story published in Broad & Liberty. But it's not the same. I miss me.
I'm scheduled for a second surgery to address the fluid leaking from my neck. My surgeon explained during my last visit about osteoradionecrosis of the jaw. My options? A procedure as complicated as the original except the cancer is gone.
I didn't sleep that night. I was all the way in that darkness of the soul. Angry, depressed, bad dreams. I didn't pray at all.
But I did the next morning. "Lord God, I'm not angry with you, but I am angry because of what's happened to me." I continued with words that must remain private. I wasn't in the dark place anymore, and I haven't been back, although I feel sad almost every evening. Praying is always beneficial for me. Sharing my troubles with a friend, who shared her own that day, helped. I've since learned there is a less complicated option that will help my neck heal.
Writing this is healing in a way, and the recovery is a lengthy process filled with unknowns. Cancer killed my mother and my sister. It killed one of my brothers last year. One of my editors shared with me that his wife is a 13-year breast cancer survivor. He mentioned a breakthrough in research into the cause of pancreatic cancer — a disease that took the life of his father, his wife's grandmother, and one of her uncles.
» READ MORE: Breast cancer strikes young Black women at alarming rateExpert Opinion
Cancer, regardless of the diagnosis, leaves people fractured — if they survive surgery and live through recovery. In my opinion, cancer, no matter what form, is humanity's enemy number one. It affects us all; no one is free from it. Every single human being knows someone who has survived it or died from it.
But I believe if the nations of Earth poured all of their resources into killing cancer instead of each other, we could not only have a cure within a decade, we would also understand that humanity is nature's ultimate weapon against death. What a revelation that will be.
Larry Miller is a retired special projects manager for Ceisler Media and Issue Advocacy and a former police reporter for the Philadelphia Tribune. He is a lifelong resident of Philadelphia.
What Is Lip Cancer? Here Are The Symptoms And Treatment
Lip cancer is a type of oral cancer that occurs on the skin of the lips. Most lip cancers begin on the thin and scaly layer of the lips called the squamous cells. It is possible to diagnose lip cancer at the first stage itself. The sores in your mouth that do not heal completely may be a symptom of lip cancer. These sores may be red in light-skinned people and appear dark greyish or brown in dark-skinned people. Even though the sores heal, cancer exists as the infection stays in the body longer.How does it spread?Lip cancer spreads at different rates in different people. In some, it spreads quickly, while it spreads slowly or at a moderate speed in others. Meanwhile, the risk factors of lip cancer vary depending upon the exact spot where the lesions are found and at which stage the treatment begins. As per a study conducted in 2017, the cancer spreads within 10 – 12 months. However, in some people, metastasis or cancer spreading to different parts of the body could happen in under three months. If untreated, lip cancer could spread to the lymph nodes, jawline, and other tissues in the mouth, lungs, and other parts of the body.
Symptoms1) Liesons occur continuously in the mouth or sores that are never completely healed.2) Hard cyst on lips3) White or red spots on lips4) Tingling pain or swelling on the lips5) Bleeding on lips6) Change in the colour and structure of lips7) Difficulty moving the jawline or swallowing8) Swelling in the lymph nodes on the neck
Causes1) These are some of the causes of lip cancer:2) Use of tobacco, smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes or beedi3) Over consumption of alcohol4) Caucasian skin tone5) The risk of lip cancer is higher if you are over forty6) Human Papilloma Virus or HPV7) Weak immunity
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