My father was diagnosed for tongue cancer in july and the doctor told us that it was a very agressive cancer as it progressed from stage two to 4 in just four days..... he had to undergo surgery in which they removed half his tongue and all the lymph nodes from the right side of the neck....this was followed with radiation therapy along with chemotherapy...it's been over a month now since he finished treatment but his speech is still very unclear and he is only able to take in liquids with a lot of difficulty.... Has anyone had similar experiences or knows how long it might take before he can speak clearly..... Also what are the possibilities of recurrence...

Neha,

Speech difficulties are very common following surgery and radiation to the tongue/neck. Part of this is due to the problem of trying to pronounce words normally when a significant portion of the tongue is missing, and part is due to the inflammation and dry mouth that typically result from radiation. A rule of thumb that you will read from time to time on this site is that you can expect to need a month of recovery time for every week of radiation treatment. If he only finished treatment a month ago, he's probably about at the worst stage of side effects right now, but hopefully should begin to see some improvement over the next few weeks.

Depending on the stage of cancer involved and the nature of the treatment, people recover at different rates and also regain varying levels of speech ability, so it's hard to generalize about what your father will experience. However, if he continues to have great difficulty speaking after a few months, he may want to consider going to a speech therapist.

Is your father being treated at a major cancer center? What is his schedule for followup visits with his doctors?

Cathy

Hi Cathy .....Thanx for replying.....my father was treated in Bombay, India and by one of the best doctors in the country...He has had one follow up visit already and is scheduled for another visit in the first week of March ...During surgery his teeth had to be removed from the right side so he is also scheduled to get a new set of teeth in March...i'm hoping that might be of some help in eating and speaking.....and yes he is going through the worst set of reactions right now ..they take so long to subside ....
Cathy you seem to have had a partial glossectomy in 89...so did you have problems in speaking too? if yes then for how long...

Neha,

I did have speech problems that were quite noticeable for many months after treatment, due to swelling, dry mouth, and the effects of surgery. I think many of the people on this site have experienced this to varying degrees, and for varying lengths of time, depending on the specifics of their treatment programs.

I still think I have a slight speech impediment, mostly because part of my tongue is gone, and consonants like the letters t, k and x are especially problematic to say properly. My speech also becomes harder to understand if my mouth gets too dry, so I have to be conscious of that if I need to do much speaking (or singing) for an extended period of time.

Cathy

Hi Neha, I agree with Cathy G. I was born with a speech problem and had to have speech therapist the first part of my life. I think your father might need a speech therapist. It will take a while. Just give it some time. Hope all goes well for him.

Neha, give my greatest regards & concern to your father..how the cancer can go from stage two to four that quickly is beyond comprehension but having all the treatments he has & is doing is the only way to beat it. As far as speech & swallowing, "time will heal all wounds"
After my partial glossectomy it took at least a month to even use the muscles that bring liquids or food to the back of the throat, now it seems I can get it there but it doesnt want to go down always. There are brighter days ahead for your dad and its amazing what people can understand without being able to enunciate clearly...we speak the language of humanity. Well wishes to him.
Love Maria

Hi Neha, sorry to hear about your father, but I gather India is pretty advanced as far as treatments in this sort of cancer so you can be sure he's getting good care.

I had about 1/6 of my tongue removed with partial glossectomy, sounded like a drunk version of Homer Simpson for quite a while. Had to conciously excersise it more or less to get mobility back to the tongue to sound ok.

Still have problems if I have to talk too much, start slurring and not sounding clear. Basically it was hard work to get to any sort of normal. Time and perseverance will prevail if he works at it.

Bob

Hi Neha,

I had a total glossectomy and can fully understand the difficulties in speaking and swallowing big time BUT it can be done! I just celebrated 1 year since end of treatment and can say that my speech is pretty damn good! Yes, certain consonants / sounds are harder to form or understand but compared to where I was a year ago, I've come a long way. I do have a palatal drop mouth prosthesis which helps my speech tremendously and I also saw a speech therapist weekly for about 4 months. I had a peg tube for 8 1/2 months and once it was removed I was determined to exist on more than a liquid diet if possible. Today I find that, with the help of a LOT of water, I am able to consume just about anything I set my mind to - steak, chicken, seafood, pasta, veggies, etc. - but still have trouble with bread-type foods (bagels, muffins, bread, etc.). Anyway, tell your dad to hang in there and be patient which is sometimes the hardest part of the recovery process.

Take care, Nancy

I wanted to thank all of you for taking the trouble to reply to my questions ...It really means a lot to me and my father who felt greatly encouraged by your individual stories... you see this disease has changed our entire lives and perspective and its always good to know there are people out there who have been strong and continue to fight ....

Hi Neha,

I hope that your dad is finding that his problems are improving every day. This really is the very worst time for him.At this stage I didn't want to speak - it was far too painful.

I am 18 months post surgery, and had 45% of my tongue removed plus a left neck dissection and radiotherapy. My biggest worry was about how it would all affect my speech.

However, I am told that I sound almost the same as I did before the surgery. People who don't know that I have had cancer don't notice anything wrong with my speech.

I too find that my speech worsens if my mouth is dry, so always carry a small bottle of water with me. I did see a speech therapist a few times, but only to improve some sounds that I had difficulty with. Talking is the best exercise. The tongue is just like any other muscle - you have to use it to keep it in shape and doing what it's supposed to.

I found the verbal exercises provided by the speech therapist rather tedious and they made my tongue ache, so instead I tried singing!
It also cheers you up! I chose songs (often by Abba) which involved a lot of different sounds. After only 4 weeks of this I was discharged from the speech therapist!

As for the likelihood of a recurrence - everyone is different. Your dad can discuss this with his surgeon and should be told his prognosis. It all depends on the stage of the cancer, what the healthy margins were around the tumor when it was removed, and other health/age issues. Of course it is all statistics and doesn't really mean anything to the individual.

Evereyone who has cancer is told that it might come back. BUT, if you have optimum treatment (which your dad has) then it is less likely to return. If your dad eats well (in time) and looks after his health, then he will be doing all that he can to aid his recovery. That is all that any of us can do...........apart from enjoy life and make the most of every day that we have.

Encourage your dad to think positive.It really does make a difference. There is no point in being anything else.

Please keep us updated about his progress.

Debbie