Is it possible to treat lip cancer?
In this disease, the main treatment of which is surgery, the probability of recovery is quite high, especially when diagnosed in the early stages. In more advanced stages, survival rates may decrease depending on the spread of the disease.
Who undertakes the treatment of lip cancers?
In our country and in many parts of the world, the treatment of oral and throat cancers is carried out by the Ear Nose and Throat Department (especially the head). Physicians (experienced in neck surgery), plastic surgeons, radiotherapy (radiation therapy) specialists, medical oncologists (physicians who apply chemotherapy) often undertake this task together.
In addition, nurses, dentists, dentists, doctors and doctors who deal with problems that may occur during or after the treatment. physicians, nutritionists, psychiatrists, speech and swallowing therapy specialists and algology (pain management) specialists can come into play.
How is lip cancer treatment planned?
Once the disease is noticed, it is diagnosed by biopsy. After detailed examinations and staging with imaging methods such as ultrasound, CT, MR and PET, the treatment planning phase begins.
The type of treatment and the methods to be used, and the patient's preferences, are taken into consideration, especially in more advanced stage tumors. It is decided with the participation of physicians from other specialties such as medical oncologists.
What methods are used to treat lip cancer?
Basic methods in the treatment of lip cancers;
- Surgery. Treatment
- Radiotherapy
- Chemotherapy
- Targeted treatment
These methods; It is used alone or in combination, depending on the stage of the disease, the patient's medical condition or preferences.
How is lip cancer surgery performed?
When it comes to tumors, surgical treatment means leaving some healthy tissue around the tumor. It is removed together, that is, removed from the body. The purpose of removing the tumor with some healthy tissue around it is to make sure that no tumor tissue is left behind.
In order to minimize the possibility of leaving a tumor behind during the removal of the tumor area, lip tissue is often removed after the tumor is removed. Biopsies are taken from the adjacent parts of the area for control purposes. After the samples are first frozen in the operating room during the surgery and thin sections are taken, they are examined under a microscope by pathology specialist doctors to ensure that they do not contain tumors. This process is called frozen 'frozen' examination. When the result of the frozen examination, which is a very important stage of surgery, is negative (tumor-free, clean), the repair of the surgical field begins. However, if the pathologist detects a tumor by frozen examination in the samples sent for control purposes, the tissue removal process is continued in that area until the new control biopsies are reported as clean.
After the lip tumor is removed together with the healthy tissue around it and the pathologists examine the remaining tissue. After the opinion that there is no tumor in the samples taken from the tissues, the repair phase comes to the agenda. The aim of the repair is to achieve an aesthetically acceptable and functional result for the lip, which is in a very visible area. For this purpose, various surgical repair solutions have been developed, depending on the amount and location of lip tissue removed. The method to be chosen is determined by the surgeon's experience, personal preferences, and the patient's needs and preferences.
Neck dissection in the surgical treatment of lip cancers
A stage that is often missed in the surgical treatment of lip cancers is the under-chin and It is the treatment of the lymph nodes in the upper part of the neck. Even if lip tumors are at an early stage, they can metastasize (spread) to these lymph nodes. For this reason, planned and systematic removal of the lymph nodes in the neck is an important part of the surgery. This procedure is called 'neck dissection'.
Dissection can be performed for the treatment of the neck in the presence of a proven tumor in the lymph nodes in the neck, or as a protective measure against neck metastases that may develop in the future in cases where no metastatic tumor is detected.
The lymph nodes in the neck are classified into regions named with numbers from one to seven. In neck dissection surgeries, the areas most likely to harbor metastases are cleaned. For cancers located on the lip, regions 1A – 1B, 2A – 2B and 3 of the neck are generally These are the cleaned areas. Lip tumor removal and neck dissection procedures are almost always performed under general anesthesia.
Hospitalization, dressings and recovery period after the surgery may last from 1 day to 7 or 8 days, depending on the size of the surgery. At the end of this entire process, once the patient can feed orally, breathe and talk comfortably, discharge comes to the agenda.
If the stage of the tumor (its spread in the mouth, lip area and neck) makes it necessary, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are also added to the treatment process in the postoperative period. . The necessity of these treatments is often decided at 'Tumor Council' meetings, which include radiation oncology and medical oncology specialists who will apply them.
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