A Delicate Touch That Protects Your Freedom to Speak and Eat: Oral, Lip, and Tongue Tumor Surgery
We fully understand the deep anxiety you feel when you notice a sore or lump on your lips, tongue, or inside your mouth that hasn't healed for weeks. The biggest fear regarding oral tumors is often, "Will my face be disfigured during cancer removal, or will I never be able to swallow or speak as I used to?" With our advanced oncological surgery and reconstructive techniques, we not only completely remove cancerous tissue from your body but also reshape the area in the same session, allowing you to confidently return to your social life, speech, and eating comfort.
What Causes Oral and Tongue Tumors, and Why is Surgical Repair Vital?
Our oral cavity is covered with a very rich mucous membrane consisting of our lips, inner cheeks, palate, tongue, and the area under the tongue. Heavy smoking/tobacco use, alcohol consumption, poor oral hygiene, or chronic impacted broken teeth can, over time, damage the structure of these cells, leading to oral cancers (squamous cell carcinoma). Often, it manifests as painless, white/red spots or hardened, persistent ulcers that bleed for more than two weeks. The primary goal of surgery is twofold: First, to remove the tumor along with a small amount of surrounding healthy tissue (with safe margins), leaving no cancerous cells behind. Second, and equally important, is the "Reconstruction" stage. The removed tongue or lip tissue is replaced with tissue transferred from another part of the body (or from the inside of the cheek) to create a new form. This maximizes the patient's swallowing, chewing, and speaking functions.
- Those who have a sore on their tongue, lip, or inside their cheek that has not healed and is bleeding for more than 15 days.
- Those who notice persistent white patches (leukoplakia) or red velvety patches (erythroplakia) inside the mouth
- Those who experience restricted, numb, or painful tongue movements while chewing or swallowing.
- Those who have hard, painless swollen lymph nodes (glands) in their neck and under their chin accompanying these mouth sores.
- High-risk patients who have been using cigarettes, pipes, or tobacco products along with alcohol for many years.
The success of oncological surgery begins with removing cancer and ends with restoring quality of life.
When I diagnose a patient with lip or tongue cancer, I sense their fear from the very first second: 'How will I go out in public, how will I eat?' As Dr. Nurten Küçük, I never proceed with oral surgeries simply with the mindset of 'cutting out the tumor.' For us ENT physicians, cleaning the cancer with wide and safe margins is only half the battle. The real skill lies in closing the remaining space with aesthetic flaps (tissue transfers) prepared from surrounding tissues, precisely re-aligning the natural red line (vermilion) of the lip, and preserving the mobility of the tongue. For me, it is as great a victory as conquering cancer itself when my patient can go to a restaurant and eat comfortably after surgery and converse clearly with their loved ones.
Clinical Staging and Biopsy
A very small sample (biopsy) is taken from the suspicious lesion inside the mouth under local anesthesia in an outpatient setting. MRI or CT scans are then used to precisely map the depth of the tumor and its spread to the jawbone/neck lymph nodes.
Excision with Safe Margins
The cancerous tissue, along with a small amount of surrounding healthy mucosa (to prevent recurrence), is removed in one piece. If there is a risk of tumor spread, the neck lymph nodes are also carefully removed during the same procedure (Neck Dissection).
Aesthetic Restoration with Flap
The gap created by the removed tissue is closed with grafts of living tissue taken from the inside of the cheek, the neck, or other parts of the body. In this way, facial integrity, lip aesthetics, and tongue function are restored.
Frequently Asked Questions
I frequently get mouth ulcers; could they turn cancerous?
No. Aphthous ulcers are generally small, quite painful but "benign" ulcers caused by stress, vitamin deficiency, or a weakened immune system, and they usually heal completely on their own (or with simple creams) within 7 to 10 days at most. However, sores (ulcers) that indicate oral cancer usually start painlessly, have hard edges, and never shrink even after 2-3 weeks; instead, they grow or bleed. Any sore that doesn't heal should be shown to an ENT specialist.
If part of my tongue is removed, will I be mute for life, unable to speak?
You definitely won't become speechless. In tongue tumors, depending on the stage of the disease, only a portion of the tongue (for example, the side) is removed. This removed portion is then replaced with tissue taken from other parts of the body to provide new fullness (repair). Difficulty speaking and swallowing (slurred speech) is normal during the recovery period immediately after surgery; however, with a short period of swallowing and speech therapy (rehabilitation), our patients return to a level where they can easily engage in daily communication.
Will I have a large, unsightly scar on my face after lip cancer surgery?
The lip area is one of the most striking aesthetic features of our face. Therefore, we use special "tissue flap" techniques when removing lip tumors. Surgical scars are usually hidden in the lower part of the nose, the lip creases, or the jawline. Because the natural color transition of the lip (vermilion line) is restored with millimeter-precise sutures, the natural symmetry and aesthetics of your face are largely preserved when viewed from the outside after healing is complete.
I only have a small wound on my tongue, why are you cutting open my neck during the surgery?
Ağız içi ve dil, lenf damarları açısından vücudumuzun en zengin bölgelerinden biridir. Dilinizdeki kanser hücreleri, milimetrik boyutlarda olsalar bile ilk olarak boynunuzdaki lenf bezlerine sıçrama (metastaz yapma) eğilimindedir. Bu nedenle, tümörü çıkarırken hastalığın vücuda yayılma yolunu tamamen kapatmak ve hayatınızı %100 güvenceye almak için, “Boyun Diseksiyonu” adını verdiğimiz boyun lenf bezlerinin temizlenmesi işlemi, ağız kanseri ameliyatlarının ayrılmaz ve hayat kurtaran bir parçasıdır.
Take the first step towards an accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment.
For an initial consultation, examination, and personalized treatment plan, please contact us immediately.