Spit tobacco users; what does pain in tongue mean; cancer?

Possibly.: If the tongue has a non-healing ulcer that can be painful, it can mean oral cancer, but these are generally on the lip and mouth. The tongue might have a canker sore, a white, patchy lesion the often resolves on its own. It would be wise to see your doctor and have this looked at, and better still if you can stop spit tobacco use.

Could be: Is there any bump, wound, growth, canker sore etc on the tongue area where pain is located? If the answer is yes, you should go to see an oral surgeon and have it biopsied. If you dont see anything, you still need to see md to have your mouth examined. Unfortunately, your exposure to tobacco increases your risk for oral cancer. So, tongue cancer /oral cancer has to be ruled out.