Diseases of the tongue – Leukoplakia, Cancer, Paralysis and Enlargement

Leukoplakia. A whitish discoloration, as a soft wet crusting on the tongue surface and occasionally on the inner surface of the cheek, is termed leukoplakia. It is the result of chronic irritation, such as over-indulgence in the use of tobacco, but is also thought at times to be related to syphilis or some other systemic diseases. Leukoplakia definitely is a pre-cancerous condition and necessitates immediate expert medical care.

Fig. 28. Leukoplakia on the tongue is a white, leathery, sometimes sore formation, resulting from chronic irritation. Often caused by smoking, it is considered potentially cancerous and should not be ignored.

Cancer of the Tongue. Any ulcer or recent sore irregularity on the tongue might be the beginning of cancer. Three percent of all bodily cancer, and found much more in the male sex, it is often associated with jagged and broken teeth, or other irritations such as leukoplakia, glossitis or syphilis. It is definitely a disease of later years; it was formerly associated with syphilis about fifty percent of the time. Now, however, coincidence with syphilis is very low, and association with heavy smoking is becoming higher and higher. Any sore on the tongue over two weeks in duration demands a physician’s early attention.

Paralysis of the Tongue. The tongue normally has great agility to move in any direction including straight out. When it loses the ability to move, especially to one side, difficulties such as strokes are quickly suspected. Paralysis of the tongue, whether in whole or part, almost always represents difficulty with nerves which bring motion ability to the tongue muscle and the physician’s examination alone can uncover the basic difficulty.

Enlarged Tongue. An enormously enlarged tongue (macro-glossia) sometimes is found in unusual diseases of the body tissues, along with accompanying enlargements of other soft tissue areas of the body, such as the lips, nose and facial features. Diagnosis and treatment for these difficulties becomes considerably involved and the physician’s advice is without equal.