You may be reading this because you or someone you care about has learned they have tongue cancer. Or maybe you’re curious about your risk of getting tongue cancer. This is a good place to start.
In this guide you can learn about what causes tongue cancer and how to prevent it. You also can learn about early signs of tongue cancer.
It’s important to know the signs of tongue cancer. Tongue cancer can be easier to treat when we catch it early. At MSK, we have treatment options for tongue cancer at every stage.
This information can help you get ready to talk with your healthcare provider and understand your next steps.
Tongue cancer is a rare type of head and neck cancer. Tongue cancer starts in the thin layers of skin and muscle that make up your tongue.
This guide focuses on oral tongue cancer. The oral tongue is the part you see when you stick out your tongue. You may hear your care team call the oral tongue the first 2/3 of your tongue.
The main causes of oral tongue cancer are using tobacco and alcohol. Treatments for tongue cancer are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
Oral tongue cancer is not the same as cancer that starts at the base of your tongue, near your throat. The base is the back part of the tongue you cannot see because it goes into the throat.
Cancer that starts at the base of the tongue is throat cancer, also called oropharyngeal cancer. It’s not tongue cancer.
Early symptoms of tongue cancer are a sore spot, lump, or sore throat that does not go away. Red, white, or dark spots on your tongue are other signs of tongue cancer.
Tongue cancer is often found during a routine dental exam. If something does not look normal, you’ll need other tests to tell if it’s cancer. They include a biopsy and imaging tests, such as CT scans.
Surgery is often the most common treatment for tongue cancer. You may have surgery along with other tongue cancer treatments. They include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
What are the parts of your tongue? Knowing your mouth’s anatomy can help you better understand where tongue cancer starts and to look out for symptoms. Anatomy (un-NA-toh-mee) means the parts of a structure, such as the tongue.
Your tongue helps you taste, speak, eat, and swallow.
Most tongue cancer is squamous cell carcinoma (SKWAY-mus sel KAR-sih-NOH-muh). This cancer starts in squamous cells, the thin, flat cells that line your tongue.
There are 2 parts to your tongue. Cancer can start in either part.
The mouth, including the oral tongue and base tongue.
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A risk factor is anything that raises your chance of getting a disease, such as cancer.
There are some risk factors that you cannot control. These include your age, race, or the genes you were born with.
There are other risk factors you can change. Research shows that having healthy habits can lower your risk for cancer.
A few risk factors can raise your risk for getting tongue cancer. Examples are:
Tobacco, including smokeless tobacco, is a main cause of tongue cancer. You’re at higher risk for tongue cancer if you:
Using tobacco puts chemicals in your mouth that harm cells.
Researchers are studying if vaping (e-cigarettes) is a risk factor for cancer. Vaping may be risky for your health now and when you’re older.
Your chance of getting tongue cancer is even higher if you use both tobacco and alcohol. Talk with your healthcare provider about your drinking and smoking habits, now and in the past.
Learn more about cancer and tobacco use.
Alcohol is a main cause of tongue cancer. If you drink a lot of alcohol, you’re at higher risk for tongue cancer.
Your chance of getting tongue cancer is even higher if you use both tobacco and alcohol. Talk with your healthcare provider about your drinking and smoking habits, now and in the past.
Researchers aren’t sure why alcohol can cause cancer. They think it harms DNA. For example, your body breaks down the alcohol in drinks into a chemical compound called acetaldehyde. This chemical can make DNA less stable and trigger changes (mutations or variants).
People assigned male at birth are more likely to get tongue cancer than people assigned female at birth. This may be because men use tobacco and alcohol more than women.
As you get older, your risk goes up, too. This is because the cells in your body become less healthy over time. It’s harder for your body to fix them.
Tongue cancer often happens in people over age 40. Older people can get tongue cancer after many years of using tobacco and alcohol.
Your health history can affect your tongue cancer risk. Your chance of getting tongue cancer may be higher if you’ve had any of these health issues:
Our Tobacco Treatment Program has experts who can help you quit smoking. It’s open to people who never had cancer or a disease linked to tobacco. It also welcomes anyone who has cancer, and cancer survivors. Our program offers treatment options to help you quit, such as counseling and medicine.
There are some steps you can take to lower your risk for tongue cancer. There also are some risk factors that you cannot control.
Research shows that some healthy habits can lower your risk. Making healthier choices in your everyday life can help.
When it comes to alcohol, less is best. Research shows that even 1 to 2 drinks a day can raise risks for some cancers. Alcohol is one of the most preventable causes of cancer, after smoking and being overweight. Learn about the risks of drinking alcohol.
Screening means getting routine tests to find cancer even before you have any signs or symptoms. The goal of regular screening is to find cancer early, when it’s easier to treat.
Your healthcare provider and dentist should check for signs of tongue cancer. They can do this during your regular check-ups each year.
MSK recommends that your primary care provider examines your head and neck every year.
There’s no solid scientific evidence about whether screening prevents deaths from head and neck cancer. Researchers are studying this in clinical trials, also known as research studies.
Here are MSK’s latest guidelines for head and neck cancer. They may be different from those of other groups of experts.
If you’re at average risk for head and neck cancer:
If you’re at higher risk for head and neck cancer:
Changes in your tongue could be signs of cancer. They also can be caused by other things.
Your dentist or healthcare provider look in your mouth during routine check-ups. They may see early signs of tongue cancer.
Talk with your healthcare provider and dentist if you have any of these tongue cancer symptoms:
Early and common symptoms of tongue cancer include:
Later-stage symptoms of tongue cancer include:
Chatbots can be a good way for you to learn more about what’s going on with your health. They can even give accurate information about cancer. But there also are many problems with chatbots. MSK experts share tips on how to use these AI tools, and why your care team has the best information for you.
A canker sore is also called a mouth ulcer. Canker sores are painful lesions (leigh-SHUNS) inside the mouth. A lesion is a sore lump, bump, or area of tissue.
Canker sores are not a symptom of tongue cancer. They also do not cause tongue cancer.
