How is tongue cancer surgery performed?

To remove the cancer, doctors may use cutting tools or lasers during surgery. Transoral robotic surgery. Head and neck surgeons offer transoral robotic surgery, which provides more-precise access to cancers at the base of the tongue.

Is cancer of the tongue treatable?

Tongue cancer is highly curable when it is detected early, but it can be life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated early. Over time, it may spread to other sites in the mouth, other areas of the head and neck, or other parts of the body.

Is tongue surgery painful?

Patients that have undergone palatal and/or base of tongue surgery may experience pain when swallowing, as well as reflux of liquid into the nose. This resolves usually within a couple of days after surgery.

Is radiation necessary after tongue cancer surgery?

It may be recommended after surgery to prevent the cancer’s regrowth. Radiation may also be used as the sole treatment if the tumor cannot be removed surgically or if the tumor regrows after surgery.

Can someone speak without a tongue?

It is highly impossible to speak without a tongue, because in the mechanism of speech, the tongue is the main organ that helps us to speak a language fluently.

How long is radiation treatment for tongue cancer?

Standard EBRT for oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancers is usually given in daily fractions (doses) 5 days a week for about 7 weeks. But sometimes other schedules might be used: Hyperfractionation radiation is a slightly lower radiation dose given more than once a day (for example, twice a day for 7 weeks).

How soon after oral cancer surgery do you start radiation?

Objective The National Cancer Center Network recommends starting radiation therapy within 6 weeks after surgery for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC), but there is limited evidence of the importance of the total time from surgery to completion of radiation therapy (package time).