Internal Medicine

What is the life expectancy with tongue cancer?

introduction

Tongue cancer is a malignant disease of the tongue that can be triggered in particular by cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption.
If tongue cancer is detected early and treated in good time, life expectancy is higher than in well advanced stages.In general, however, life expectancy also depends on the age and general health of the person concerned.

Life expectancy in tongue cancer

A general statement about the life expectancy with tongue cancer can hardly be made, as this can vary greatly from person to person due to various factors such as age and state of health. Life expectancy can vary and depends on many different circumstances, such as the size and extent of the tumor, the aggressiveness of the growth, and possible involvement of other organs or lymph nodes.

In addition, even when all factors are taken into account, it is never possible to predict with certainty how long one will have to live with a particular disease. Even under identical conditions, the life expectancy of two people with tongue cancer can differ by many years.

However, there are various figures that were collected from other patients with tongue cancer and that can provide an orientation regarding life expectancy.

If you include all people with tongue cancer, regardless of the stage of the disease and the therapy, the average life expectancy is nine years after diagnosis of the disease.
The group of patients who did not have surgery have an average life expectancy of only two years.
The majority of women’s life expectancy is slightly higher than that of men.

How good the quality of life is and what restrictions the patient may have to live with after an operation are not taken into account when asked about life expectancy.

Read on under: Tongue Cancer - You Should Know That!

Affect life expectancy

In the case of tongue cancer, life expectancy is most positively influenced by the fact that the disease is discovered as early as possible and any necessary treatment is initiated in good time and carried out consistently. Therefore, one should not hesitate to go to the doctor if one notices a newly developed mass on the tongue.

In addition, the average life expectancy is higher when the patient is in good health and there are no other comorbidities. A healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise and a balanced diet is important for good health and can lead to an improvement in the body's immune system.

Since cigarette smoking or excessive consumption of alcohol are among the main risk factors for developing tongue cancer, life expectancy is positively influenced by quitting smoking and consuming alcohol in moderation.

Furthermore, life expectancy can be positively influenced if the follow-up examinations recommended after a treatment are performed in good time. A possible new outbreak of the disease or an expansion of the scope can be treated early and, if necessary, in good time.

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This has a negative impact on life expectancy

The life expectancy of tongue cancer is negatively influenced especially when the cancer first occurs late and is diagnosed at a very advanced stage. Life expectancy is not very high, especially if the tumor has already spread and settlements can be detected in other organs such as the lungs.

Life expectancy is also negatively affected if an actually necessary treatment is not carried out, for example because the patient does not want to live with the consequences of a radical operation or the state of health does not permit therapy. If the entire tumor could not be excised during an operation, the average remaining lifetime is significantly shorter than after the complete removal of the cancerous tumor.

A poor general condition of the person affected, old age and concomitant diseases of other organs are further factors that have a negative impact on life expectancy in case of tongue cancer. In addition, malnutrition and underweight in cancer are generally factors that have a worse prognosis.

Smoking and drinking alcohol are also important factors in the development of tongue cancer. With continued nicotine and alcohol consumption, life expectancy is negatively affected, as there is also the risk of developing another cancer.

also read: Quit smoking- Here's how

Life expectancy of metastatic tongue cancer

If, at the time of the diagnosis of tongue cancer, it is established that the disease has metastasized (daughter ulcers) in other organs or that these occur in the course of the disease, the average life expectancy is significantly worse than in a stage limited to the tongue.

However, an individual life expectancy cannot be accurately predicted. In some people with metastatic tongue cancer, it can progress rapidly, leading to death within a few months. In other affected people, the disease can drag on for years, although survival over three years is very unlikely.

Learn more at: Metastases

Life expectancy of tongue cancer if it relapses

A relapse, usually referred to in medicine as a recurrence, is generally possible with cancer and can also occur with cancer of the tongue. A tumor that has become smaller as a result of treatment can grow again or cancerous ulcers form again after surgical removal.

In general, recurrences occur most frequently in the first 5 years after the initial diagnosis and initial treatment.
The average life expectancy with an early relapse within the first year is most negatively affected. If it is possible to completely eliminate the tumor mass in the event of a relapse, life expectancy can only be slightly influenced by the relapse.

This is why regular follow-up examinations after tongue cancer treatment are of great importance so that the best possible life expectancy can be achieved even in the event of a relapse.

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Tongue Cancer Survival Rate

The survival rate for tongue cancer can vary widely and depends primarily on the stage at which the disease was diagnosed and whether therapy with the aim of a cure can be initiated in good time.

If you ignore all factors that influence average life expectancy, around 40-50% of all people with tongue cancer survive for the next ten years after the disease is diagnosed.

However, there are big differences when you look at individual groups. Patients with little tumor spread without daughter ulcers (Metastases) in other organs, have a relatively good average survival rate after complete surgical removal of the tongue cancer.

At an advanced stage with involvement of the lungs, bones or other organs, there is no longer any prospect of a cure and the survival rate beyond the next five years is extremely unlikely.

Find out more at: Cancer

How often is tongue cancer fatal?

Tongue cancer is a malignant disease that, especially if left untreated, can lead to death within a few years.
How often tongue cancer actually ended fatally cannot be said in general, as most patients also suffer from other diseases and it cannot always be clearly stated which is ultimately the cause of the death.

Especially after successful treatment of a cancerous ulcer discovered in time, some people can be considered cured, while others suffer a relapse in the following years, which in turn can ultimately lead to death.

At a very advanced stage, at which treatment can no longer be attempted to cure, tongue cancer is fatal in most cases after a few months to a few years. However, significant deviations from these average figures are also possible in isolated cases.

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