Early detection is critical in treating any type of cancer, particularly when it’s mouth cancer. Health experts say, where the cancer is found determines the type of treatment.
Kevin Owen was diagnosed with a rare form of tongue cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. “I thought it was just a scar on the side of my tongue and it ended up being a carcinoma. I was shocked. I was scared.”
Dr. Anthony Anfuso, a head and neck cancer surgeon on staff at Lee Memorial Health System, says tongue cancer can be found in two locations: on the front of the tongue, or at the base of the tongue where it’s difficult to see. “If you have cancer on the oral tongue that is going to be treated almost always with surgery. If you have it at the base of the tongue that would be a non-surgical treatment.”
Regardless of where the cancer is found health experts say the two most common causes for the cancer are smoking or chewing tobacco or, like in Kevin’s case, a lesion on the tongue that won’t heal.
“I had bit my tongue a number of times and I thought it was just a scar from biting my tongue, but then it started becoming circular and it started looking a little different,” said Kevin.
A week after being diagnosed, Kevin underwent surgery to have the cancer removed.
“If you catch a tongue cancer when it’s a small lesion and there are no involved lymph nodes you can surgically remove it and the lymph nodes. The prognosis is excellent. Well above 90 percent,” said Dr. Anfuso.
Fortunately for Kevin, the cancer was caught and removed early. Health experts say patients who undergo surgery typically have a quick recovery where they are able to eat, drink, and talk normally within a few days.
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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.
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