Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

The treatments that doctors recommend for lip cancer will depend on the type of cancer, the stage of the disease, and other factors. Treatments may be used alone or in combination, depending on the situation.

Surgery

Surgery is the most common type of treatment for lip cancer. Surgeons typically remove the cancer along with a margin of healthy tissue. Then, they might repair the lip so that patients can eat, drink, and speak normally. Sometimes, cancerous lymph nodes in the neck are also surgically removed.

If the cancer is large and invasive, plastic and reconstructive surgical techniques may be needed to restore the lip.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy involves using powerful beams of energy to destroy cancer cells. Doctors may recommend radiation on its own or after surgery to target any leftover cancer cells.

Chemotherapy

With chemotherapy, drugs are given to kill cancer cells in the body. Chemo is sometimes used with radiation to bolster the effects of treatment. Or it may be given for very advanced lip cancers that have spread to other areas of the body, to lessen symptoms of the disease.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy uses medicines that focus on specific proteins and genes of cancer cells that affect their growth. These treatments are usually combined with chemotherapy. Cetuximab is one targeted medicine that may be beneficial for people with advanced lip cancers, according to StatPearls.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy harnesses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. This treatment is sometimes used for lips cancers that are advanced or when other treatments fail.