Tongue Cancer Diagnosis

If the doctor suspects cancer, he may call for a biopsy and additional tests, such as an X-ray, CT scan, MRI, or PET scan, to confirm the diagnosis.

Doctor Visit

• On the tongue itself, there may be red or white patches, numbness, or bleeding, and the patient may experience difficulty swallowing and chewing and a persistent sore throat. Other symptoms include ear pain and a change in the patient's voice.

  If a patient exhibits some of these symptoms, the doctor may take a biopsy, or sample, of the tongue and send it off to a laboratory. A specialist will examine the biopsy under a microscope, confirming whether cancer is present.

X-Ray

• During an X-ray, a beam of X-ray particles travels through a patient's body, and a special film or computer records the image one-dimensionally. Hard substances, such as bone, will block the beam appear white while softer substances, such as the tongue, appear grayish. From an X-ray, a doctor can locate abnormalities indicative of tongue cancer.

CT Scan

• A CT, or "computed tomography," scan combines X-rays with computer imaging. CT scans produce two-dimensional images, allowing doctors to view whether the cancer has spread from the patient's tongue. For example, the cancer in the tongue may spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes.

MRI Scan

• MRI stands for "magnetic resonance imaging." This machine will use magnetic fields and radio waves to generation three-dimensional images of the patient's insides. Though painless, an MRI scan is very noisy and, unlike an X-ray or CT scan, it can take some time to complete.

  With an MRI a doctor can check for small abnormalities in a patient's tongue and determine whether the cancer has spread.

PET Scan

• A PET, or "positron emission tomography," scan begins with a small injection. The injection, which contains a small amount of radioactive material, allows the scanner to detect how fast the body's cells are growing. Cancer cells, for example, grow much faster than normal, healthy cells.

  Because of its sensitivity, a PET scan can detect tongue cancer before visible symptoms appear. It may also, in some cases, replace a tongue biopsy.