A cancer diagnosis brings questions that go beyond the treatment itself. Will you be able to eat comfortably? Will your voice change? What will recovery mean for you and your family?
Consult Dr. Md. Abdullah Al Mamun in Dhaka to understand your diagnosis and discuss the next steps.
Tongue and Oral Cavity Cancer Surgery
Cancer can develop in the tongue, gums, inner cheeks, floor of the mouth or other areas inside the mouth.
Surgery removes the tumour along with a surrounding margin of tissue to help achieve complete removal. A smaller tumour may need a limited operation, while a larger one may require more extensive surgery and reconstruction.
How treatment could affect eating, speaking and swallowing should be part of the discussion from the beginning.
For someone with cancer of the voice box, “Will I lose my voice?” is often the first concern.
Not every laryngeal cancer requires removal of the whole voice box. Depending on the cancer, treatment may involve radiotherapy, limited surgery or a larger operation.
If a total laryngectomy is needed, breathing will permanently take place through an opening in the neck. Your natural voice will be lost, but speech rehabilitation can help you learn another way to communicate. These changes deserve a clear, careful conversation before treatment.
Sinonasal cancers develop inside the nose or the surrounding sinuses. Surgery depends on the tumour’s location, size and relationship to nearby structures, including the eyes and skull base.
Some tumours can be removed through the nostrils using an endoscope. Others need an open or combined approach. The priority is to remove the cancer safely while preserving as much function as possible. More complex cases require a specialist surgical team.
After a larger cancer operation, the area where tissue was removed may need rebuilding.
Microvascular flap reconstruction transfers tissue—and sometimes bone—from another part of the body. The surgeon reconnects tiny blood vessels under a microscope to give the transferred tissue its own blood supply.
This can help rebuild parts of the mouth, tongue or jaw and support swallowing, speech and appearance. Whether it is needed depends on the planned cancer surgery, with reconstruction arranged through an appropriately trained team.
Head and neck cancers can spread to lymph nodes in the neck. A neck dissection removes groups of these nodes when cancer is present or when there is a significant risk of microscopic spread—even if no lump can be felt.
The extent of surgery varies. Possible effects include numbness, shoulder weakness and neck stiffness; rehabilitation can help with movement and recovery.
Sometimes, but not always. The cancer’s type, stage and laboratory findings help determine whether radiotherapy, chemotherapy or another treatment is also needed. Planning usually involves specialists from several fields.
Recovery depends on the operation. Some people need support with eating, swallowing or speech, and a feeding tube may be needed while swallowing is difficult. Follow-up appointments check healing, address treatment effects and look for signs of cancer returning.
A mouth sore that does not heal, an unexplained neck lump, persistent hoarseness or difficulty swallowing deserves an assessment. Persistent nasal blockage or unexplained nosebleeds should also be checked.
These symptoms can have other causes, but it is better to have them examined than keep waiting for them to settle.
Bring your biopsy report, scans and previous treatment records. Write down the questions that matter most to you, and bring a family member if that helps you feel more comfortable during the discussion.
Book an Appointment with Dr. Md. Abdullah Al Mamun
