Prognostic determinants of locally advanced buccal mucosa cancer: Do we need to relook the current staging criteria?

OBJECTIVES: Current guidelines advocate non-surgical treatment for T4b buccal mucosa carcinoma with surgery preferred in other stages. We investigated oncologic outcomes of this cohort in comparison with T4a cohort, treated by similar multi-modality approach of primary surgery followed by adjuvant treatment and identified prognostic determinants of survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oncologic outcome of prospectively accrued 282 patients with cT4a and cT4b buccal mucosa squamous cell carcinoma were evaluated for overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) at 2 years of the whole cohort and for the subgroups of T4a and T4b patients. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to identify prognostic determinants. RESULTS: Of 277 eligible patients treated and followed for a median period of 21 months, the OS was comparable between T4a and T4b as 64% vs 58%, (p = 0.354). The DFS between the two subgroups was 64% vs 61%, (p = 0.316). Although there was 47% pathologic down staging from the clinical stage, there was no significant difference in oncologic outcome between pT4a and pT4b (OS, 57% vs 58% for T4a and T4b, p = 0.687; DFS, 58% vs 60% for T4a and T4b, p = 0.776). On multivariate analysis, extra capsular spread (p = 0.042), lateral pterygoid muscle involvement (p = 0.035) and defaulting adjuvant treatment (p < 0.001) were independent predictors of outcome for the T4b cohort when other factors were controlled. CONCLUSIONS: Primary surgery followed by adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy offers comparable results in selected T4b gingiva and buccal mucosal cancer, suggesting the need to relook the staging criteria for oral cavity cancer.

Perforator Peroneal Artery Flap for Tongue Reconstruction.

INTRODUCTION: Reconstruction has evolved long way from primary closure to flaps. As time evolved, better understanding of vascularity of flap has led to the development of innovative reconstructive techniques. These flaps can be raised from various parts of the body for reconstruction and have shown least donor site morbidity. We use one such peroneal artery perforator flap for tongue reconstruction with advantage of thin pliable flap, minimal donor site morbidity and hidden scar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our patient 57yrs old lady underwent wide local excision with selective neck dissection. Perforators are marked about 10 and 15 cm inferiorly from the fibular head using hand held Doppler. Leg is positioned in such a way to give better exposure during dissection of the flap and flap is harvested under a tourniquet with pressure kept 350 mm Hg. The perforator is kept at the eccentric location, so as to gain length of the pedicle. Skin incison is placed over the peroneal muscle and deepened unto the deep facia, then the dissection is continued over the muscle and the perforator arising from the lateral septum. The proximal perforator about 10 cm from the fibular head is a constant perforator and bigger one, which is traced up to the peroneal vessel. We could get a 6 cm of pedicle length. Finally the flap is islanded on this perforator and the pedicle is ligated and flap harvested. Anastamosis was done to the ipsilateral side to facial vessels. The donor site is closed primarily and in the upper half one can harvest 5 cm width flap without requiring a skin graft along with a length of 8 to 12 cm. DISCUSSION: Various local and free flap has been used for reconstruction of partial tongue defects with its obvious donor site problems, like less pliable skin and not so adequate tissue from local flaps and sacrificing a important artery as in radial forearm flap serves as the work horse in reconstruction of partial tongue defects, Concept of super microsurgery was popularized by Japanese in 1980s and the concept of angiosome proposed by Taylor paved the way for development of new flaps. True perforator flaps are those where the source vessel is left undisturbed and overlying skin flap is raised. Yoshimura proposed cutaneous flap could be raised from peroneal artery (Br J Plast Surg 42:715-718, 1989). Wolff et al. (Plast Reconstr Surg 113:107-113, 2004) first used perforator based peroneal artery flap for oral reconstruction. Location of perforators vary, hence pre operative localisation can be done by ultrasound doppler, CT angio or MR angiography. Disadvantages over radial flap include varying anatomic location of perforators, need for imaging and difficult dissection of delicate vessels through muscles and hence a learning curve. Our patient had an arterial thrombus within few hours post-operatively which was successfully salvaged with immediate re-exploration and re-anastomosis of artery. Post-operative healing was uneventful and donor site was closed primarily without the need for graft. CONCLUSIONS: Perforator peroneal flap serves as a useful armamentarium for reconstruction of moderate size defects of tongue, buccal mucosa and floor of mouth with advantages of thin pliable flap, minimal donor site morbidity and hidden scar.

Bi-paddled radial forearm free flap in the reconstruction of bilateral buccal mucosal defects-a case series.

Oral submucous fibrosis is a commonly encountered clinical problem in the Indian subcontinent. Treatment with surgery and reconstruction with appropriate flap, followed by vigorous physiotherapy is the ideal management. We report three advanced cases that were successfully managed and rehabilitated with bi-paddled radial forearm free flaps. Mean preoperative mouth opening was 3 mm, and mean postoperative mouth opening was found to be 27 mm after 18 months of follow-up. Thus, instead of two flaps, use of a single-donor-site, bi-paddled radial forearm free flap, is recommended for the reconstruction of bilateral buccal defects resulting from oral submucous fibrosis release.