How is lip cancer treated?

Early lip cancers may be treated by surgical removal of the cancer or with radiation therapy. More advanced cancers require more aggressive surgery, which also involves removing lymph nodes and other tissue from the same or both sides of the neck, radiation therapy, or a combination of the two. Chemotherapy and targeted therapy may be used in addition to other treatments.

The goal of lip cancer treatment is to cure the cancer permanently or to bring about a complete remission of the disease. Remission means that there is no longer any sign of the disease in the body, although it may recur later.