Where can I find information about adenocarcinoma of the tongue?

My mother has been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the tongue. I am not finding much info on the type of cancer because it is rare in this location. She has started radiation and chemo, but they don't know if this will be effective or not. What can you tell me about it or where can I find more information?

— Question from Anonymous Caring.com community member

Expert Answer by Bonnie Bajorek Daneker

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Bonnie Bajorek Daneker

Bonnie Bajorek Daneker is author and creator of the The Compassionate Caregiver's Series, which includes "The Compassionate Caregiver's Guide to Caring for Someone with Cancer," "The Journey of Grief," "Handbook on Hospice and Palliative Care," and other titles on cancer diagnosis and end of life. She speaks regularly at cancer research and support functions, including PANCAN and Cancer Survivor's Network. She is a former member of the Executive Committee of the CSN at St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta and the Georgia Chapter of the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

Adenocarcinoma is in fact rare, and is often accompanied by metastasis to other areas. You’ll need reliable sources of information. Try these:
- National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service at (800) 4-CANCER (422-6237)/ (800) 332-8615 (TTY) 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday, except Federal holidays (Eastern time). You can ask to be transferred to a resource familiar with tongue cancers.
- American Cancer Society at (800) 227-2345 (Voice/TDD/TTY) . They have many brochures and pamphlets and that can help. Also look at their page: http://search.cancer.org/search?client=amcancer&site=amcancer&output=xml_no_dtd&proxystylesheet=amcancer&q=adenocarcinoma+of+the+tongue. It can answer some additional questions for you.
- American Institute for Cancer Research. (800) 843-8114
8:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., Monday–Thursday; 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., Friday (Eastern) They will send you out a free packet of information, including specifics on the type of cancer.
- Mouth Cancer Foundation at www.mouthcancerfoundation.org. They are UK-based but have many patient stories and helpful information. However, they may have different treatment strategies.