Lip Cancer

Often, dentists or dermatologists spot lip cancer during routine exams. If a healthcare provider suspects lip cancer, they’ll ask about your medical history and habits, like whether you smoke. They may recommend diagnostic tests, including:

Physical exam. Your healthcare provider will examine your lip and ask about your symptoms. They’ll also look at your mouth, face and neck to check for signs that the cancer has spread beyond your lips.
Soft tissue biopsy. Your provider will remove a small sample of the affected tissue and send it to a pathology lab for testing. Results can show if a lesion or tumor is lip cancer.

If biopsy results show you have cancer, your healthcare provider may order additional tests to see if it’s spread. Advanced lip cancers metastasize, or spread to distant parts of your body. The good news is that most people get diagnosed before lip cancer spreads.

Tests include:

Imaging tests. Your healthcare provider may take a CT (computed tomography) scan, a PET scan or use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to check for tumors.
Endoscopy. During this procedure, your provider passes a small, flexible camera down your throat while you’re sedated to look for signs of cancer.

Symptoms

When to see a doctor

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Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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Diagnosis & treatment

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