The frequency and outcome of lip cancer in Serbian population

Abstract

Aim: Lip cancer is one of the most common cancers of the head and neck region. Among all lip malignancies, squamous cell carcinoma is most common, whereas basal cell carcinoma accounts for only 1% of all lip carcinomas. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the frequency of lip lesions among Serbian population and to consider its outcome. Material and Method: The analysis encompassed 479 patients who were hospitalized at the Clinic of Maxillofacial Surgery (Faculty of Dentistry, University of Belgrade) during the period 1989-2005 for the treatment of lip lesions. The following parameters were analyzed: sex, age, size and localization of the lesion, duration of hospitalization, TNM classification, histopathologic analysis, type of surgical procedure, other possible treatment, and a recurrence rate. Results: There were majority of males (78%). Average age of our patients was 63.4 years. Lesions were most often localized in the lower lip (88%), and less frequently in the upper lip (8%) or at the lip angle (4%). Average size of the lesion was 24.3 mm. Data confirmed that the 'W' excision was the most frequently used surgical procedure, and for bigger lesions, surgical reconstruction was performed by the technique suggested by Karapandzic. Histopathologic analysis confirmed the most frequent incidence of the squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusion: Squamous cell carcinoma of the lip generally has a favourable prognosis. Early detection is very important for its successful treatment.