WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2024 -- A reconstruction algorithm with a 50 percent cutoff value is suggested for lip squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), according to a study published online March 5 in the Journal of Dermatology.

Jung Won Park, M.D., Ph.D., from the Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues retrospectively analyzed 34 patients with lip SCC who underwent reconstruction after Mohs micrographic surgery between January 2006 and March 2022. Seven and 27 tumors were on the upper lip and lower lip, respectively.

Twenty-five, eight, and one defects were located on the mucosal lip, the mucosal and cutaneous lips, and the cutaneous lip only, respectively. The researchers found that 18 and 16 defects were smaller and larger than 50 percent of the total lip size, respectively. Primary closure was mainly performed for defects smaller than 50 percent of the lip size, while local flap was performed for larger defects according to the location and defect size. Postoperative complications occurred in 13 patients; except for one patient, all improved within one year after surgery. The investigators recommend a reconstruction algorithm with a 50 percent cutoff value.

"Defects smaller than 50 percent of the lip size could be reconstructed by primary closure," the authors write. "Even larger defects could be reconstructed by creation of a local flap from the remaining adjacent tissue with minimal postoperative complications."