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Rhinard Troup
Diagnosis: Tongue Cancer
While Rhinard Troup was on vacation in Africa, he noticed that something wasn’t normal--a sore on his tongue just wouldn’t go away. After a visit to his primary care physician, he was referred to UT Medical Group head and neck cancer specialist Dr. Sandeep Samant, who diagnosed him with tongue cancer.
In order to treat the cancer, Dr. Samant had to surgically remove Troup’s tongue. Fortunately, though, he didn’t have any complications after the surgery or have to undergo radiation therapy. Today, he has been cancer-free for the past five years.
Cancer of the tongue is one of the most common and serious types of mouth cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 37 people will be diagnosed with tongue cancer each year.
Its cause is unknown, but tongue cancer most often occurs in people who smoke cigars, pipes, or cigarettes. It is also detected in people who consume large amounts of alcohol.
However, even people who do not engage in those behaviors can still get the cancer—like Rhinard Troup.
"I was 66 when I was diagnosed, and I never engaged in smoking or drinking," he says.
It has been almost five years since his surgery, but Troup still visits the doctor every four months for routine checkups.
"My life hasn’t changed much since the surgery," he says. "My speech is still good, and I can still talk and sing like I used to, mainly because I detected and treated it early."
Now at age 71, he gives advice for patients who have been diagnosed with tongue cancer.
"Get it treated early," he urges. "Even if they take part of your tongue and you can’t speak anymore, be grateful that you can still see, hear, and write, and still lead a normal life."
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