A SHOCKING time-lapse video reveals how a tiny white spot on your tongue can morph into tongue cancer over the years.
Tongue cancer is a rare type of head and neck cancer, the symptoms of which might be mistaken for mouth ulcers.
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Now, an AI-generated time lapse shows the cancer can develop subtly over the years, starting as a tiny white patch known as leukoplakia.
White patches on the mouth or tongue irregular in shape, raised and painless but can’t be rubbed away could be caused by a number of things, like biting and burning your tongue, anaemia and even scarlet fever, according to the NHS.
But Dr Christopher Chang, who heads the private otolaryngology practice Fauquier ENT and created the chilling time lapse, warned that about 10 per cent of leukoplakia cases turn into cancer.
NHS GP Dr Rachel Ward of Woodlands Medical Centre in Didcot previously said that these white patches are “caused by chronic exposure to irritants such as smoking”.
“They are mostly benign but can be pre-cancerous and needs to be seen by your dentist or doctor,” she added.
The NHS recommends that you see a GP or dentist if a white patch in your mouth hasn’t gone away after two weeks.
The Fauquier ENT video spans over 15 years, showing how a white spot on the side of a tongue can turn into leukoplakia after three years.
As time passes, the tongue spot changes colour, darkening to a greyish-purple hue.
By year eight, the patch is now a dark pink colour and has reached the stage of erythroplakia.
The term describes red lesions on the tongue, inner cheeks or roof of the mouth – which may appear in combination with leukoplakia – that can in some cases be cancerous.
Eythroplakia is more common in people who smoke who chew tobacco and it’s important you get it seen to.
According to Dr Chang, about 50 per cent of erythroplakia cases turn into cancer.
What are the symptoms of tongue cancer?
The symptoms of tongue cancer might include:
- A red or white patch on the tongue that won’t go away
- A sore throat that doesn’t go away
- A sore spot (ulcer) or lump on the tongue that doesn’t heal for more than three weeks
- Pain when swallowing
- Numbness in the mouth that won’t go away
- Pain or burning feeling over the tongue
- Problems moving your tongue or speaking
- A lump in the neck that has been there for more than three weeks
- Unexplained bleeding from the tongue, that’s not caused by biting your tongue or another injury
- Pain in the ear (this is rare)
All of these symptoms can be caused by conditions other than cancer. But it is important to have them checked by your doctor or dentist.
Tongue cancer can be treated more successfully when it is diagnosed early.
Source: Cancer Research UK and Macmillan
By year 12, the patch in the side of the tongue has grown into a small purple lump, which Dr Chang said resembles stage 1 tongue cancer.
Were this lump to be left unattended, it could progress to stage 2 cancer after a year, the otolaryngologist claimed.
The AI-generated time lapse showed the lump doubling in size.
By year 14, the time lapse showed what a stage 3 tongue cancer tumour could look like, continuing to swell and darken.
According to Dr Chang, a small white patch on the tongue could progress to stage 4 tongue cancer if left unattended for 15 years.
“Obviously, such a time lapse can not be realistically accomplished as there is no way to know if a tongue lesion will turn into cancer,” he wrote.
It comes after data from the Oral Health Foundation showed that mouth cancer cases in the UK have jumped in the last decade.
What increases the risk of tongue cancer?
Though it’s not known what exactly causes tongue cancer, but doing certain things can increase your chance of developing, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.
This includes:
- Smoking or chewing tobacco
- Drinking large amounts of alcohol – your risk is higher the more years you drink for
Your risk of developing tongue cancer is higher if you do both of these things.
Some cancers that appear at the base of the tongue may also be linked to a human papilloma virus (HPV) infection.
This is a common group of viruses that can infect the mouth and throat and cause cancer.
According to Cancer Research UK, it’s estimated that around 80 per cent of people will be infected with HPV at some time in their lifetime.
For most people, HPV causes no harm and gets better on its own – you don’t catch cancers like an infection.
But high risk strains of the virus can cause changes in the mouth and throat, which are more likely to become cancerous in the future.
The main type of HPV found in mouth and oropharyngeal cancer is HPV 16, the charity added.
You can get infected with HPV when having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has the virus, and it can also spread through close skin-to-skin contact and sharing sex toys.
High risk strains of the virus have also been linked to cervical, anal, penile, vulval and vaginal cancer.
You can’t fully protect yourself against HPV, but wearing a condom and getting the HPV vaccine can help.
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