Lip cancer is the process of transforming the normal squamous lip epithelium into atypical. In this case, atypical cells begin to randomly and randomly divide, and a malignant tumor process is formed.
Lip cancer is not common among all neoplasms (1.5-2%), but this process is quite malignant and brings a lot of cosmetic defects. According to statistics, upper lip cancer is twice as common as lower lip cancer, and this disease is predominantly found in women.
Cancer of the red border of the lips is one of the ten most common oncological diseases and is located at 9th place in terms of frequency of occurrence.
The age group of patients predisposed to the development of this process is patients older than 50 years, men older than 60 years.
It should be noted that rarely the cancerous transformation of cells occurs against the background of complete well-being, most often there are a number of factors that contribute to the launch of the oncological chain.
First of all, these factors include permanent mechanical or chemical injuries:
- frequent and long smoking
- drinking alcohol
- use of narcotic substances (laying on the lower lip, resorption)
- too hot and spicy food
- the use of low-quality cosmetic products (creams, lipsticks, balms and lip glosses)
- improperly placed dentures, braces.
Living in adverse weather conditions, with prevailing winds or very low or high temperatures.
Lip cancer can also develop as a result of a birth defect when a small part of the lower lip remains uncovered upper.
Herpes virus infection (its frequent relapses) often becomes the trigger in the development of lip onomatology.
Lip cancer: the first signs that should make a person seek the advice of an oncologist:
- The appearance of itching in the border of the lips. Itching gradually intensifies, sometimes scratching, cracking, maceration. Infection may occur and an inflammatory process forms.
- In the area of the lip, a dense infiltrate begins to form, which does not move, slightly painful on palpation.
- At later stages, the infiltrate becomes crimson or cyanotic, and may become crusted. If the crust is torn off, then an erosive defect can be detected. The edges of erosion are bright red and not even.
- The formation of ulcers at the site of erosion occurs almost at the last stage of development of lip cancer. An ulcer may suppurate as a result of an infection.
- Lip cancer quite often manifests itself not in one infiltrate, but in several small ones, which, as the tumor progresses, can merge and form one large conglomerate.
- The spread of infiltrate can occur in the buccal region, on the neck, in the parotid salivary gland. The result is inflammation, swelling and pain.
- Pain syndrome is characteristic of lip cancer at all stages except the last, when the tumor process affects the nerve endings and they die.
- At the stage of metastasis, there are clinical signs of damage to the lymph nodes and internal organs.
Lip cancer, the symptoms of which are not pronounced and the clinical picture is just beginning, is manifesting itself, is more mild for the patient, he is more malleable in terms of treatment.
If lip cancer therapy is started at the initial stages, when the process of metastasis has not yet begun, then a long relapse-free course of such a disease and a more favorable prognosis for the patient are possible. The main thing in the treatment of lip cancer is early diagnosis and timely chemotherapy.