Tongue regeneration helps patients find opportunities to live healthy lives
Mr. N.T. H (Dak Lak), father of patient N.T. V (30 years old, Dak Lak province), said that his son had had symptoms of pain and discomfort in the tongue area for quite a long time. The family has taken him to the doctor many times but has not determined the cause, always thinking it is just common diseases such as mouth ulcers or tongue ulcers.
He went to many places for examination but could not find the disease. Then he researched information himself and went to Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital for examination. Here, doctors checked and requested immediate hospitalization for surgery," Mr. H. recounted.
According to Mr. H., doctors diagnosed his son with stage 3 tongue cancer. Because the disease had progressed severely, the patient was indicated for surgery to remove the damaged tongue and regenerate the tongue to maintain eating and communication function.
The doctor explained that the disease is in a late stage, requiring early surgery to avoid further progression. The family was carefully advised on the treatment process and the possibility of surgery success," Mr. H. said. After surgery, the patient had to have nearly half of his tongue removed due to tumor invasion. However, thanks to tongue regeneration, his health is currently recovering positively.
From "death sentence" to the opportunity to revive thanks to tongue reconstruction surgery
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi, Head of Head, Neck and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, tongue cancer is one of the types of cancer in the head and neck area with a bad prognosis because this area concentrates densely in the blood vessel and lymphatic system, making the tumor more susceptible to invasion and metastasis than many other locations.
At Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, about 70% of tongue cancer patients come for examination when the disease is already in stage III or IV. Most of these cases must undergo surgery to remove tumors combined with tongue regeneration to maintain basic living functions such as speaking and swallowing.
Although it cannot be completely restored to the original state, reconstructive surgery helps patients retain their ability to communicate, eat and have the opportunity to return to a relatively normal life," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi said.
In recent years, the hospital has applied 3D technology in surgery planning and soft tissue recovery in the head, face, and neck area. However, according to experts, tongue regeneration is still a major challenge because this is an organ with a very flexible muscle structure, and it is difficult for any tissue in the body to completely replace the function of the tongue.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi said that previously, patients with late-stage tongue cancer who could not be operated on were often only given chemotherapy or palliative radiation therapy, with very poor prognosis, and most of them had difficulty surpassing the 6-12 month mark. Currently, with the development of tumor removal surgery combined with regeneration, doctors can save more than half of the patients who were once considered to have no chance of radical treatment.
One of the cases he remembers most is an English teacher with tongue cancer near the tip of the tongue, a position that directly affects pronunciation. The patient had to have about two-thirds of his tongue removed and underwent reconstructive surgery. After the treatment process, the patient recovered well, continued teaching and maintained normal life.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi, reconstructive microsurgery techniques have been deployed at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital for about 16 years. From having only one doctor performing, the department has now built a team of about 10 doctors who can deploy similar techniques. Each year, the department performs more than 200 reconstructive microsurgers and about 600-700 reconstructive surgeries of all kinds, with a success rate of over 99%.
Currently, the biggest challenge no longer lies in technique but in the increasing pressure on patients. The department has nearly 300 cases waiting for surgery, with an average waiting time of 6 weeks or more. Therefore, the hospital's upcoming goal is to continue training and transferring techniques to other medical facilities to reduce the burden on the final line and help more head, face, and neck cancer patients access treatment earlier.
