Outpatient surgical treatment of lip carcinomas: immediate and long-term results

From 1977 to 1987, outpatient surgery was performed under local anesthesia on 131 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lip without regional lymph nodes at the Day Hospital of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori (INT) Milan. Radical surgery was achieved in 117 cases (89.3%), independently of the size of the neoplasm. Of the 7 patients in whom radical surgery was not achieved at first operation, 3 were reoperated on as outpatients, 2 were hospitalized and reoperated, and 2 underwent X-ray treatment. Finally, in the remaining 7 patients radical surgery was not obtained or was near the borderline of the neoplasm. Complications (diastasis and/or suppuration) arose in 4.6% of the cases. During the follow-up (mean duration, 30 months) 7 patients developed a relapse and 2 manifested regional metastasis. Twenty-three patients developed a second tumor (13 on the lip, 3 in the lung, and 7 in other areas). These results prove that day hospital surgery of T1-T2 lip squamous carcinoma is feasible. It is appreciated by the patient, requires very little postoperative care, is less expensive than hospitalization, and involves less psychologic stress for the patient.