Tongue cancer rates have risen in the United Kingdom and are disproportionately affecting men, with late diagnosis also presenting a challenge.
A TikTok user named Karen (@karenls1) recently shared her harrowing experience of the disease after her critical symptoms went unnoticed.
The ordeal, according to Karen, began with a seemingly harmless sore on the side of the tongue. But within six months, it began to severely impact her daily life.
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“I had a stubborn ulcer on the side of my tongue, and it was like that for quite a while, and it eventually became a hole in my tongue,” she recalled.
TIKTOK / @karenls1 / GETTY
|Karen urged others to get their stubborn tongue ulcers checked
"I couldn't open my mouth wide, because an ulcer is painful. I think it was six months from it first appearing until I was diagnosed," Karen revealed.
Over time, the ulcer began to compromise Karen’s ability to communicate and consume food.
“It was hard to open my mouth and for people to look in there to see,” she explained.
“It affected my speech; people were struggling to understand me. It also affected my eating, so I lost a lot of weight."
The medical intervention required to remove the tumour was extensive, involving surgical removal of tissue from her neck and extraction of a portion of her tongue. Her dietary choices became severely limited as a result.
“The only thing I managed to eat was yoghurt, so it impacted an awful lot of things for me," she shared.
The grave consequences of delayed treatment were echoed in the comments by viewers who witnessed loved ones endure a similar ordeal.
One viewer wrote: “My mother died from tongue cancer mainly because she left it for such a long time.”
Karen also reiterated the critical timeframe for seeking medical help when symptoms of tongue cancer arise.
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|Good oral hygiene is imperative for preventing oral cancers
“This is why I say stubborn ulcers need to get checked out. A normal ulcer should heal in a week to two weeks.
“But if you have a stubborn ulcer that is still there after three weeks, something must be wrong.”
Medical professionals have suggested that maintaining proper oral hygiene could serve as a protective factor against developing the condition.
However, early detection remains the most important factor in successful treatment outcomes.