The treatment results of patients with lower lip cancer and the relationship of tumor size and depth with neck metastasis
Engin Şengül1, Musa Özbay2, Beyhan Yılmaz3, İsmail Topçu3
1Özel Diyarlife Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Bölümü, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
2Özel Genesis Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Bölümü, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
3Dicle Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Kulak Burun Boğaz Anabilim Dalı, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
Keywords: Lip squamous cell carcinoma, neck dissection, neck metastasis, surgery.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the treatment results and the relationship of tumor size and depth with neck metastasis in patients who were operated for lower lip cancer.
METHODS: Thirty-five patients (31 males, 4 females; mean age 58.2 years; range 31 to 81 years), who were operated in our clinic due to lower lip cancer between January 2009 and January 2016, were included in this study. The demographic features, examination and clinical findings, performed surgical treatment techniques and histopathological diagnostic results of the patients were evaluated retrospectively. Twenty millimeter for tumor size and 0.6 mm for depth were taken as the limit values during the evaluation of the relationship of tumor size and depth with neck metastasis. P value below 0.05 (p<0.05) was taken as significant in the statistical analysis.
RESULTS: We identified cervical neck metastasis in seven and postoperative recurrences in five patients. In addition, three of them died during the follow-up period. One of the 20 patients with tumor size ≤20 mm had neck metastasis. However, six of the 15 patients with a tumor size >20 mm had neck metastasis. One of the 19 patients with tumor depth ≤0.6 mm had neck metastasis. However, six of the 16 patients with tumor depth >0.6 mm had neck metastasis. In statistical analysis, we found that both the tumor size and depth significantly increases the risk of neck metastasis (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION: Increase in tumor size as well as tumor depth increases the risk of neck metastasis. Therefore, we suggest tumor size and depth have a vital role in deciding neck dissection in lower lip cancers.