Tongue Cancer

Overview

Mayo Clinic offers comprehensive care for patients with tongue cancer, including advanced diagnosis and treatment options, and rehabilitation services. A team of doctors from otorhinolaryngology, oral surgery, radiation and medical oncology and other medical specialties work together to treat each tongue cancer patient.

Treatment teams at Mayo Clinic consider each patient's type and extent of tongue cancer to recommend the most appropriate treatment plan. They also carefully consider and select the treatment option that will allow the patient to maintain as much speech and swallowing function as possible. Doctors use the latest treatment options and technology, including minimally invasive transoral robotic surgery (through the mouth) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

Tongue cancer patients also have access to the resources of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic ranks in the top tier of cancer centers in the United States for cancer research.

• Treatment in Arizona
• Treatment in Florida
• Treatment in Minnesota

About Tongue Cancer

Tongue cancer is a common and serious type of head and neck cancer. The condition usually appears as squamous cells (a lump, white spot or ulcer) on the outer layer of the tongue. When identified early, tongue cancer is highly curable. Research studies show that people with a history of nicotine and alcohol dependence have a higher incidence of tongue cancer. More than 10,000 Americans are diagnosed annually with tongue cancer.

When cancer forms in the front two-thirds of the tongue, it is classified as a type of oral cavity cancer called oral tongue cancer. Cancer that develops in the remaining third of the tongue is called tongue base cancer and is considered a form of throat (oropharyngeal) cancer.