CARCINOMA ESCAMOCELULAR DE LABIO SUPERIOR EN PACIENTE ADOLESCENTE

cancer of the oral cavity is a major public health problem around the world (al-rawi and talabani); it occurs more frequently in patients after the fifth decade of life (2:1 male:female ratio). this entity is very unusual in children; however, frequency has become increased in this agegroup. this article presents the case of an 11-year-old child suffering squamous cell carcinoma of the upper lip. preoperative lymphogammagraphy identified the need for selective dissection of the supraomohyoideal neck, excluding the parothydeal group, in spite of the tumour's location, thereby greatly reducing operative morbidity. mohs micrographic surgery was used for tumour resection of the upper lip and then a yotsuyanagi flap was rotated. 18-month post-operation follow-up revealed no local, regional or distant relapse regarding cancer foci. the authors recommend that similar cases should be managed in a multidisciplinary way (dermatology, head and neck surgery, nuclear medicine, plastic surgery), thereby being able to reduce morbidity and functional alterations and increasing the probability of recurrence-free survival.