Selection of Surgical Treatment Pathways for Carcinoma of the Root of the Tongue and Discussion of Their Advantages and Disadvantages

Abstract

Tongue root cancer is a great challenge for surgeons, and its treatment is still controversial, and surgical treatment is still one of the main therapeutic options. Tongue root cancer belongs to the category of oropharyngeal cancer and accounts for 40% of oropharyngeal cancers. In recent years, an increase in the global prevalence of tongue root cancer due to HPV infection has brought tongue root cancer back into the limelight. The tongue plays an important role in swallowing and speech, etc. The location of the root of the tongue is hidden, and surgical access to this area is difficult. The commonly used surgical pathways for tongue root cancer include transoral approach, transmandibular approach and prepharyngeal incision approach. Different surgical pathways have their own characteristics, this article reviews the surgical methods of different approaches for tongue root cancer and their respective advantages and disadvantages as well as the scope of application, with the aim of providing a reference for the selection of surgical treatment pathways for tongue root cancer.