Tongue cancer is placed together with mouth cancers, and is the sixth most common cancer in the world. In the United States, about 8,000 people die annually from it. Mouth cancer is largely a preventable disease, because the principle factors are smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and excessive sunshine (lip cancer).
Men are more often affected than women. Smokers are six times more likely to get mouth cancers, while those chewing tobacco have a 50-fold increase in risk. Using tobacco and alcohol together increases the risk more than either alone.
Avoidance of these aggravating factors is, of course, most important. So is being aware of changes in the lips, palate, tongue, gums and cheeks. Careful checking with the fingers and a good look at the mouth in the mirror can be helpful. Do not neglect lesions that bleed, or are red or white. Lumps, ulcers and thickenings must be checked. Regular visits to a good dentist will screen for mouth cancers.
When mouth cancer is detected early, treatment is much more successful than when it has spread to the lymph nodes.
Another name for throat cancer is cancer of the pharynx. The pharynx is the hollow tube that starts behind the tongue and connects to the tube going to the stomach (esophagus). Alcohol use, smoking, and chewing tobacco also greatly increase the risk of throat cancer. In throat cancer, tumors are often found on the tonsils and at the base of the tongue.