MANAGEMENT OF SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE LOWER LIP: ANALYSIS OF FIVE YEARS' EXPERIENCE (78 PATİENTS) AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Ankara Numune Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Plastik Cerrahi, Ankara, Turkey The most frequent type of all oral cavity tumors, squamous cell type (SCC) has currently been reported to account for 90% of all malignant oral tumors. Lips are the most common localization after skin in the head and neck region for the squamous cell carcinomas to involve. Among the pivotal risk factors having impact on the prognosis are as follows: size of the tumor, histopathological type and grade, perineural invasion, regional lymph node metastasis, and local recurrences. The present retrospective study included a total of 78 patients with SCC of the lower lip who had been treated in the second Plastic Surgery Clinic in Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital between 2007 and 2011. Such characteristics as age, gender, lesion localization, presence of palpable lymph nodes in the physical examination, ultrasonographic presence of cervical metastasis, pathology reports, cervical lymph node dissection and the results of the reconstructive operations undertaken were compared, thus proposing an algorithm in the light of the collected data. When diagnostic and treatment modalities are implemented appropriately and in the early period, the survival period and the quality of life change in a positive way. Particularly, we have concluded that lymph node dissections have a positive impact on the survival and reduce the recurrence rates. Keywords : Lower lip, squamous cell carcinoma, lip