title: [Small carcinoma of the lip with big consequences].
abstract: A 79-year-old man, an 81-year-old woman and a 60-year-old woman were referred to our oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic with a large submandibular swelling. All three patients had a history of prior excision of a small carcinoma of the lower lip. Primary treatment had been carried out by a number of different medical specialists. In the first two patients, none of the caregivers had recognized this swelling as a possible lymph node metastasis. Oncological follow-up had not been performed and the patients were unaware of the metastatic potential of their cancers. Although in the third patient follow-up was adequate, there was too much delay between confirmation of the metastasis and planning of the surgery. All three patients died of a small lip carcinoma. Stage I lip carcinomas generally have a good prognosis. However, patients have to be informed about the risk of lymph node metastasis and need to be followed up on a routine basis.
authors.affiliation: Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, afd. Mondziekten, Kaak- en Aangezichtschirurgie en Bijzondere Tandheelkunde, Centrum voor hoofd-halsoncologie, Utrecht, the Netherlands. S.J.Nurmohamed@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Silke J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Nurmohamed
authors.forename: Robert J J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: van Es
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008048:Lip Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012307:Risk Factors