Lip Cancer: Symptoms, Stages & Treatment

Question.1. Describe incidence, spread, differential diagnosis and treatment of carcinoma of lips.

Answer. Incidence

Incidence of carcinoma of lip is 15% of head and neck cancers and 1% of all cancers.

Carcinoma of lip Spread

Carcinoma of lip spreads to sub-mental and sub-mandibular lymph nodes (Level I) and later to other neck nodes bilaterally.

“Risk Factors For Developing Lip Cancer”

Carcinoma of lip Differential Diagnosis

Basal cell carcinoma: It occurs only in upper lip
Pyogenic granuloma: On palpation it is soft and bleeds easily.
Verrucous carcinoma: Surface is papillomatous and white.
Necrotizing sialometaplasia: Ulcers in this are painful with no raised borders, no hardening and characteristic histology.
Keratoacanthoma
Malignant melanoma.

“The Role Of Biopsies In Detecting Lip Cancer”

Question.2. Describe features to benign swelling turning malignant.

Answer. Following are the features of benign swelling turning malignant:

In benign swelling boundaries are encapsulated or well circumscribed but when it become malignant boundaries are poorly circumscribed and irregular.
In benign swelling surrounding tissue is often compressed but when it turns malignant surrounding tissue is invaded.
In benign swelling size is small but when it turns malignant size is large.
In benign swelling secondary changes occur less often but when it turns malignant secondary changes occur more often.
In benign swelling growth rate is slow but when it turns malignant growth rate is rapid.

“Understanding The Causes Of Lip Cancer”

Benign swelling often compresses the surrounding tissues without invading or infitrating them but when it turns malignant it infitrate and invades adjacent tissues.
In benign swelling metastasis is absent but when it turns malignant metastasis is frequently present.

Lip Cancer – Diagnosis And Treatment

Write short note on management of lower lip carcinoma.

Answer. Following is the management of lower lip carcinoma:

If lesion is less than 2 cm, then curative radiotherapy,either brachytherapy or external beam radiotherapy.
It gives a good cure.
Tumor is more than 2 cm, wide excision is done.
Excision of lower lip up to one-third can be sutured primarily, in layers keeping vermilion border in proper apposition without causing any microstomia.
Excision of more than one-third of the lip requires reconstruction using diffrent flps.

“Comprehensive Overview Of Lip Cancer Symptoms”

Lower lip carcinoma Methods

Abbe-Estlander’s rotation flap: It is done in lower lip lesions which located at the angle based on labial artery.
Abbe flap: Done in lower lip lesions at the middle or at the site other than angle based on labial artery. In the later second stage base of the flap should be released once the flap takes up.
W flap plasty: It is done for the lower lip middle tumor which is less than one-third of the lip.
Karapandzic flap: It is done in lower lip defect with less angulation towards upper lip.