Lip Cancer

Lip cancer is the most common form of oral cancer, and affects mostly men. There are two types of lip cancer: squamous cell and basal cell. The most common type of lip cancer begins in the squamous cells, the thin, flat cells that line the lips and mouth. Lip cancer symptoms are very similar to those of other types of oral cancer. It can often be mistaken for a cold that won’t go away, or a persistent toothache. Other symptoms and signs include, A sore in the mouth that does not heal, Persistent mouth pain, A lump or thickening in the cheek, A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining of the mouth, A sore throat or feeling that something is caught in the throat that does not go away.

Surgery is often the first treatment option for lip cancer that has been detected at an early stage. Surgery can also be part of a treatment program for advanced-stage cancer. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drug therapy are also potential treatment options for patients with lip cancer. A combination of these therapies can be used. Recent trends in lip cancer incidence in the Swiss Canton of Vaud (approximately 600,000 inhabitants in 1990) were analysed over the period 1975-1990, when a total of 87 cases were registered.