Lip reconstruction after cancer resection : clinical study of 70 cases

By virtue of their multiple functions, lips are essential organs. Thus, lip cancers represent a distinct entity in head and neck surgery. Their treatment is fundamentally surgical. We aimed, in this study, to define modalities of repairing techniques of lip defects after surgical resection and post-operative complications.

We conducted a 4 years retrospective descriptive study including 70 adult patients admitted with lip cancers.

Suture, local and regional flaps were the performed techniques for repairing defects (respectively n=28, 35 and 7). The most common postoperative complications were wound dehiscence (n=4), and surgical site necrosis (n=2) and infection (9 patients). Functional sequelae were dominated by microstomia (n=26), (food leakage) (n=9) and gingival exposure (n=11). Aesthetic results were good, fair or poor respectively in 54.3%; 32.9% and 12.8% of patients.

Lip cancers surgery is relatively well-codified. However, it may be difficult to choose the best repairing technique, especially in case of large lip defect considering functional and aesthetic prejudices.