Squamous cell carcinoma of the lip: the role of electron treatment.

Abstract

After skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lip is the most common cancer of the head and neck. It can be treated in a variety of ways, including both surgery and radiotherapy. Many centres have reported excellent cure and local control rates for their chosen treatment method. Electron beam treatment is recognized as a method of treatment and has theoretical advantages related to its depth-dose characteristics. We report a retrospective study of the treatment with electrons of 26 patients with Stage T1-2 SCCs of the lip. With a median follow-up period of 31 months (range 1.5-60) 100% local control was obtained, although two patients required surgical salvage, one for a geographical miss. One patient presented with metastatic neck nodes, and one relapsed in the neck, but both were treated with a combination of surgery and radiotherapy and were free of disease at follow-up. Patients tolerated the acute radiation reaction well and the long term cosmetic and functional results were good. Two patients experienced minor soft tissue necrosis, one of whom required surgical treatment. Electron treatment for T1-2 SCC of the lip is an effective, well tolerated treatment for these patients, many of whom are elderly and frail.