| Summary: | Purpose: Lip cancers are the second most common cancers of head and neck region. Due to its functional and aesthetic consequences and aggressive course, clinical approach including surgical margins, type of neck dissection and reconstruction techniques are debated topics in lip cancer. We investigated reliability of preoperative evaluations, pathological risk factors for recurrence or metastasis, surgery related morbidities and their management.
Methods: The records of patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic data of the patients were evaluated, the reliability of the punch biopsy and radiological imaging was discussed and the effects of pathological features on the risk of recurrence and metastasis was investigated. Surgery related morbidities were revealed. All these problems and their solutions were discussed in the light of literature.
Results: Punch biopsy was found unreliable in this study. Relapses were associated with advanced stage and perineural invasion while cervical metastasis was related with the size of the specimen and surgical margins. Donor site morbidities were higher in local flaps. Recurrence or metastases were not observed in patients who were treated with extensive excision, neck dissection and reconstruction with free flap.
Conclusions: Early diagnosis and functional and aesthetic repair are the most important factors in terms of prognosis in lip cancer. First surgery is very important that determines the prognosis. As the stage progresses, the surgery becomes complex but prognosis can be as good as early stages with good clinical approach.
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