Squamous cell carcinoma of the lip

We reviewed 117 consecutive patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lip. The retrospective review includes age, race, location, risk factors, TNM classification, histologic differentiation, treatment methods, recurrent disease, site of recurrence, and follow-up status. Results reveal prognosis is related to original tumor size, location, local recurrence, histologic grade, and presence of cervical metastasis. The presence of cervical lymph node disease reduces the survival from 90 to 50 percent; the survival after recurrent disease to the neck is 10 percent. When a prophylactic suprahyoid neck dissection shows involvement with tumor, 83 percent of patients have metastasis to cervical lymph nodes. The overall recurrence rate is 20 percent. Over 60 percent of the recurrent disease is due to tumors less than 4 cm in diameter. The local recurrence rate is 7 percent, but reexcision of the local recurrence gives a 75 percent cure rate. Aggressive surgical treatment is recommended for identifiably poor prognostic lesions and includes surgical excision, prophylactic suprahyoid neck dissection, and possible radical neck dissection.