Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan-Mar;66(1):229-238.
doi: 10.47162/RJME.66.1.21.

Influence of the patient's demographic profile and tumor characteristics on reconstructive techniques in lip cancers

Ana Cătălina Ţânţu  1 , Marius Eugen Ciurea, Vasilica Mihaela Dumitrache, Alina Păunescu, Marilena Monica Ţânţu, Constantin Ciucurel, Elena Ioana Iconaru, Daniel Corneliu Diaconescu, Georgeta Ionescu, George Mihail Man, Sorina Octavia Honţaru, Consuela Dicu, George Popescu
Affiliations

Influence of the patient's demographic profile and tumor characteristics on reconstructive techniques in lip cancers

Ana Cătălina Ţânţu et al. Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2025 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

With an incidence of approximately 30% of all oral cavity neoplasms, lip cancer significantly impacts the patient quality of life (QoL). The frequent localization is in the lower lip, predominantly affecting men aged between 60-70 years old. The surgical treatment aims at aesthetic and functional reconstruction of the lip. The present study aims at defining a demographic profile of patients with lip cancer and at establishing correlations between tumor characteristics and reconstruction methods. The analysis of the group of 26 patients showed that the lip cancer patient was predominantly female, urban, with a mean age of 73.27±11.17 years old, with squamous cell carcinoma of the lower lip, mean diameter of 1.52 cm and mean depth of 0.72 cm. The tumor characteristics revealed a guide of the decision on the method of lip reconstruction, considering the correlations between a variety of factors, including the size of the affected area, etiology and location of the formation, integration of the flap into the relaxed skin tension lines, the patient general condition, and the degree of cooperation. Regardless of the reconstructive method chosen, the aim is to preserve the functions of the lip in mastication, speech and definition of facial expression. Complex cases require extensive reconstructive interventions involving combinations of various types of flaps. Multidisciplinary management of these patients leads to improved QoL and prevention of recurrences.

Keywords: lip carcinoma; lip pathology; quality of life; reconstructive methods; risk factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Gender distribution of the group. F: Female; M: Male
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age distribution of the group
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of patients according to the social environment: 14 patients were from urban areas, and 12 from rural areas. R: Rural; U: Urban
Figure 4
Figure 4
Distribution of the group by smoking status: 10 patients were smokers, 15 were non-smokers, and none had quit smoking.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Distribution of women included in the study according to smoking status. F: Female; M: Male
Figure 6
Figure 6
Distribution of men included in the study according to smoking status. F: Female; M: Male
Figure 7
Figure 7
Distribution of patients according to comorbidities
Figure 8
Figure 8
Group distribution according to tumor location
Figure 9
Figure 9
Group distribution according to tumor diameter
Figure 10
Figure 10
Group distribution according to tumor depth
Figure 11
Figure 11
Distribution of patients according to excision margins
Figure 12
Figure 12
Distribution of patients according to reconstruction method
Figure 13
Figure 13
Distribution of patients according to histopathological type of tumors. BCC: Basal cell carcinoma; SCC: Squamous cell carcinoma
Figure 14
Figure 14
Distribution of men and women according to histopathological type of tumor. BCC: Basal cell carcinoma; F: Female; M: Male; SCC: Squamous cell carcinoma
Figure 15
Figure 15
Distribution of patients according to location and histopathological type. BCC: Basal cell carcinoma; SCC: Squamous cell carcinoma
Figure 16
Figure 16
Distribution of patients according to histopathological type and excision margins. BCC: Basal cell carcinoma; SCC: Squamous cell carcinoma.
Figure 17
Figure 17
Distribution of the group according to histopathological type and reconstruction method. BCC: Basal cell carcinoma; SCC: Squamous cell carcinoma
Figure 18
Figure 18
Macroscopic aspect of the tumor formation (frontal view)
Figure 19
Figure 19
Macroscopic aspect after removal of crusts and marking of the preoperative drawing
Figure 20
Figure 20
Intraoperative aspect of the post-tumor excision defect
Figure 21
Figure 21
Intraoperative aspect of the flaps at the level of the defect
Figure 22
Figure 22
Suture of the flaps at the defect level
Figure 23
Figure 23
Image of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with keratosis pearl formation. HE staining, ×200. HE: Hematoxylin–Eosin
Figure 24
Figure 24
Tumor area with a rich inflammatory infiltrate, intra- and peritumoral, consisting predominantly of T- and B-lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells. HE staining, ×200
Figure 25
Figure 25
Moderately positive reaction of tumor cells to the Ki67 proliferation antigen. Immunostaining with anti-Ki67 antibody, ×200.
Figure 26
Figure 26
Intensely positive reaction of tumor cells to the p53 immunomarker. Immunostaining with anti-p53 antibody, ×200
Figure 27
Figure 27
Appearance of the region six months postoperatively
Figure 28
Figure 28
Appearance of the region six months postoperatively, with the oral cavity open
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Czerninski R, Zini A, Sgan-Cohen HD. Lip cancer: incidence, trends, histology and survival: 1970-2006. Br J Dermatol. 2010;162(5):1103–1109. - PubMed
    1. Alhabbab R, Johar R. Lip cancer prevalence, epidemiology, diagnosis, and management: a review of the literature. Adv Oral Maxillofacial Surg. 2022;6:100276–100276.
    1. Moretti A, Vitullo F, Augurio A, Pacella A, Croce A. Surgical management of lip cancer. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2011;31(1):5–10. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chen L, Wang Z, Zhang S, Gong Z, Wang K, Wu H. A novel method for reconstruction of the lower lip after lip cancer ablation: double Abbe flap. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2020;78(3):488–488. - PubMed
    1. Biasoli ÉR, Valente VB, Mantovan B, Collado FU, Neto SC, Sundefeld ML, Miyahara GI, Bernabé DG. Lip cancer: a clinicopathological study and treatment outcomes in a 25-year experience. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2016;74(7):1360–1367. - PubMed