Epidemiological study of lip cancer between 2004 and 2016 in public hospitals of Tehran, Iran: Squamous cell carcinoma as the most common cancer

Background: The majority of oral cancers, which make up 25% to 30% of all malignancies in the oral area, are lip cancers (LCs). As far as we are aware, there haven’t been any thorough epidemiologic research on LC. This study’s objective is to look at the trend of tumor prevalence across the whole lip area in Iranians between 2004 and 2016 (Tehran, Iran). Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study, which examined tumor location, age, gender distribution, histological tumor type, metastasis, clinical diagnosis, and recurrence of the lesion, was carried out on the pathology records of patients admitted to the Department of Pathology at the Cancer Institutes of Imam Khomeini hospital and Tajrish hospital between 2004 and 2016. The data was analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: Out of a total of 237392 biopsy reports filed with the Department of Pathology, 512 instances (0.21%, 92% malignant, and 8% premalignant) involving 385 (75.2%) males and 127 (24.8%) females were discovered to be lip-related. A statistically significant difference between sex and the site of the lesion was found using the chi-square test (P=0.032). Lower lip and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) were the most typical locations and types, respectively. Recurrence and metastasis were noted in 7.8% and 25.84% of cases, respectively, with males more likely than women to experience these outcomes. Moreover, there was a significant (P=0.025) correlation between gender and histological tumor type. Conclusion: The chance of developing LC was greater in men over the age of 54. The most typical location for SCC involvement is the lower lip. We discovered that women had an increased frequency of upper lip lesions. These disparities might be the result of gender-specific professional and behavioral differences. Hence, as possible contributors to the occurrence of LCs, variables including occupational and behavioral variations and public knowledge of sun exposure should be carefully evaluated.