How many people have tongue cancer? The answer is more than a few. There are several factors that may indicate a cancerous condition in the tongue, such as its location. The maximum thickness of the tumor, as determined by MRI or CT, is a good indicator of whether it will spread to nearby lymph nodes. Surgery may be an option, as is radiation therapy. Aside from the risks of surgery, other treatment options include radiation therapy or interstitial brachytherapy.
The most common treatment for tongue and mouth cancer is surgical removal of the tumor. A surgeon will remove the entire tumor or a portion of it if it is large. They try to preserve as much of the oral cavity as possible. In addition to surgery, radiation therapy is also a common treatment for mouth cancer. The aim of radiation therapy is to shrink the tumor and kill any cancerous cells left after the surgery. While a majority of mouth cancer cases have a good prognosis, the likelihood of a recurrence is higher than twenty percent.
The most common form of tongue cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cells are flat, thin cells that line the mouth and other organs. The oral tongue, or front two-thirds of the tongue, is affected by this disease. Furthermore, the risk of tongue cancer is increased for people who have had sexual contact. People who have been exposed to the HPV virus are at increased risk of developing tongue cancer. It is important to see your dentist right away if you notice a lump on the tongue.
The TNM staging system has limitations. The T4a category is flawed because it doesn’t take into account the fact that significant portions of the extrinsic tongue muscles lie on the superficial plane. Moreover, different prognosticators have been proposed to improve the TNM staging system for tongue cancer. The most reliable one is the depth of tumor infiltration. However, this prognosticator should be confirmed in preoperative settings.
Although radiation therapy has proven to be an effective treatment for oral tongue cancer, it can also cause complications. Interstitial brachytherapy is a viable treatment option for early stage tongue cancer. It provides similar results to surgery but does not permanently damage the tongue’s functionality. Some authors use brachytherapy as a boost to EBRT or as a sole treatment for tongue cancer. These researchers are hopeful that the treatments will prove to be effective for these patients.
One way to target this drug is through the inhibition of MSH3. Using a human tongue cancer cell line, sodium phenylbutyrate inhibited the growth and viability of tumor cells and downregulated the survivin gene. This effect is thought to be caused by alterations in the p21 gene and the survivin gene. After one week, the deep parts of the frozen tumors looked similar to the untreated samples.