What is lip cancer?

Lip cancer develops from abnormal cells that grow out of control and form lesions or tumors on the lips. Lip cancer is a type of oral cancer. It develops in thin, flat cells — called squamous

Lip cancer and other kinds of oral cancer are types of head and neck cancers.

Who’s at risk for lip cancer?

Your behaviors and lifestyle heavily influence your risk for lip cancer. Approximately 40,000 people receive diagnoses of oral cancer each year. Factors that may increase your risk for lip cancer include:

• smoking or using tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or chewing tobacco)
• heavy alcohol use
• prolonged exposure to direct sunlight (both natural and artificial, including tanning beds)
• having light-colored skin
• being male
• having human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection
• being older than 40 years of age