5 year experience with lower lip cancer.

Retrospective study of 189 cases of lower lip cancer treated from 1996-2000 is done. There were 69% males and 31% females. Median age was 66.8 years. 84.4% of patients were with tumors stage I-II. Surgical treatment was performed in 83.6% of patients. In all operated cases was squamous cell carcinoma as verrucous tumor in 17.4%, as exophytic in 46% and as ulcerative in 36.6%. There were different methods of local excision, primary reconstruction and neck dissection depending from stage. In the patient group with clinically negative neck at the first attendance (170 patients) delayed cervical metastases developed in 6 patients (3.5%). Recurrence at the primary site developed in 11.3% of patients and was associated with large tumor size and low cancer differentiation. Survival rate at 5-year follow-up was 95% for patients with I stage, 89.7% for II stage and 37% for III and IV stage patients or mean for all group 83.7%. Diagnosis and treatment of actinic cheilitis also is discussed.