Lip Cancer

Lip Cancer

This is the cancer of skin of lips. This can occur in any place on lips but on lower lip it is more common. Frequently it is a squamous cell carcinoma. Excessive sun exposure and tobacco use increase the risk of lip cancer.

Symptoms

Symptoms include:

• Flate or raised whitish discoloration on lips
• Sores on skin which don’t heal
• Tingling sensation or numbness on the skin around the mouth

Causes

Generally lip cancer arises when there is mutation in the DNA of it’s cell. It causes them to divide and grow uncontrollably. Accumulation of these cell types leads to the production of tumor that have ability to invade and destroy surrounding normal tissues.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of lip cancer depends upon detailed medical history and complete general physical examination of the patient. Other tests include:

• Biopsy of lip tissues
• Imaging tests like CT scan, MRI or PET.

Treatment

Treatment options include:

• Surgical removal of lip cancer.
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted drug therapy