Patterns of nodal metastasis and surgical management of the neck in supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate management of the clinically negative (N0) neck in supraglottic laryngeal cancer continues to be an area of controversy in head and neck surgery. Our treatment policy has been aggressive surgical management even in the clinically N0 neck. METHODS: Between 1971 and 1991, 104 patients had the primary diagnosis of supraglottic laryngeal cancer. Ninety of these patients received their treatment at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and are the subject of this retrospective review. RESULTS: All neoplasms included in this study were squamous cell cancers. The most common subsite involved with tumor in our series was the epiglottis, followed by the aryepiglottic folds and false cords. Supraglottic laryngectomy was performed of 29% of the cases; the remainder received total laryngectomy. Thirty-six percent of the patients had pathologic stage I/II disease, and 64% had stage III/IV. The 5-year survival rates were 100%, 81%, 73%, and 63% for stages I through IV, respectively. Fifty-seven patients had clinically N0 disease at presentation; of these 34 underwent elective neck dissection, and the remaining 23 patients were observed. Of those patients receiving neck dissection, 30% (n = 10) were found to have histologically positive disease, and of the 23 patients observed, 30% (n = 7) had histologically positive regional (neck) disease. Of the 17 clinically N0 and pathologically N+ patients, 82% (14 of 17) had involvement of level I (submandibular triangle), and 100% had involvement of level II. The incidence of bilateral disease in the clinically N0 patient was 44%. There were no local failures. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high incidence of occult regional disease even in early-stage supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. In the surgical management the clinically N0 neck, we presently recommend bilateral neck dissection of levels I through IV to adequately address those regions at highest risk for occult disease.

Simultaneous transfer of free fibula and radial forearm flaps for complex oromandibular reconstruction.

Several composite free flaps have been described for use in oromandibular reconstruction. Particularly in extensive defects, there may be no single flap which combines sufficient bone stock with thin, pliable, soft tissue. By combining two free flaps, the best osseous and soft-tissue elements may be independently selected, to yield a result superior to that achievable with one free flap alone. Thirteen patients underwent reconstruction of extensive oromandibular defects using the free fibula for mandibular reconstruction and the free radial forearm flap for oral lining and soft-tissue reconstruction. Mandibular defects were usually extensive, involving over half of the mandibular contour. Soft-tissue defects were all complex and involved multiple surfaces of the oral, oropharyngeal, and nasopharyngeal mucosa. All patients were operated on in the supine position by two surgical teams (extirpative and reconstructive) working simultaneously. Each free flap was supplied by its own set of recipient vessels. The mean total operating time was 12 hr. Postoperative courses were without mortality or significant morbidity. There were no flap failures. Soft-tissue and osseous reconstructions healed completely. Aesthetic contour was judged good to excellent in 11 patients. Soft and solid diets were achieved in five patients, with six patients on a purée or liquid diet. Oral competence was present in 11 patients. Speech was excellent to good in six patients and fair in four patients. The mean follow-up has averaged 18 months. Three patients have died of recurrent disease, and two of unrelated causes. The remaining eight patients are currently free of disease. In combining the free flaps, the best tissue for bone and soft-tissue reconstruction was selected independently. The two-team approach avoided excessive operating time and operating team fatigue. The added degree of freedom provided by the two free flaps with their independent pedicles made insetting easier, compared to working within the limitations of a single composite flap. For extensive oromandibular defects, the simultaneous free fibula and radial forearm free flaps provided ideal osseous and soft-tissue reconstruction, with acceptable operating times and reasonable functional results.

Surgery versus radiation therapy as single-modality treatment of tonsillar fossa carcinoma: the Roswell Park Cancer Institute experience (1971-1991).

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and treatment outcomes in patients with tonsillar fossa cancer using surgery or radiation as a single modality therapy. METHODS: From 1971 to 1991 239 patients with oral pharyngeal cancer were treated at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Of these patients 90 had tonsillar carcinoma. Seventy-six of these patients received either surgery (SA) (n = 56) or radiation therapy (RA) (n = 20) as single-modality therapy and are the subject of this review. All patients in the radiation arm of this review were surgical candidates who declined primary surgical therapy. RESULTS: Sixty-three percent of the SA and 80% of the RA treatment groups presented with either stage III or stage IV disease (P < or = .05). Forty-seven percent of the SA group and 52% of the RA patients had clinically positive regional disease at initial presentation. There was a predictable pattern of nodal presentation, with level II the most frequently involved region. The rate of occult metastasis was 27% and was evenly distributed between T1 and T4 disease. The overall local control rate in the SA group was 75%, compared with 60% in the RA group (P value was not significant). The disease-specific survival (all stages) was 61% in the SA group and 37% in the RA group (P < or = .05). The disease-free survival for stage III and stage IV disease in the SA group was 47% and in the RA group 27% (P < or = .05). Survival measured against clinical response to radiation therapy, in complete responders (all stages) was 83%; by contrast there were no survivors past 24 months in the partial response group (P < or = .001). CONCLUSION: The results from this study suggest that for early disease (stage I/II), surgery or radiation therapy as single-modality treatment is equally effective. For advanced disease radiation therapy is inferior to surgery as a single-modality treatment, as measured by ultimate survival and the local control of disease. There is, however, a subset of patients with advanced disease who respond to radiation therapy and whose survival is equivalent to our surgical cohort of patients.

Surgery as a single modality therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue.

PURPOSE: The treatment of squamous cell cancer of the oral tongue remains a challenging clinical problem. The efficacy of primary treatment with surgery versus radiation therapy for early stage disease and an adequate treatment paradigm for the clinically negative neck continues to be the subject of clinical debate. We have reviewed our experience in the treatment of oral tongue cancer with surgery as a single definitive treatment modality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1971 to 1993, 79 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue were treated with surgery alone at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. RESULTS: Clinically, 69% of the patients presented with stage I/II disease and 31% presented with stage III/IV. Survival by pathological stage I to IV was 89%, 95%, 76%, and 65%, respectively. Surgical therapy ranged from partial to total glossectomy. There were no patients with positive margins. Local recurrence was observed in 15% of patients with close margins (< 1 cm) and 9% of patients with adequate margins (> or = 1 cm). The incidence of pathological node positive (N+) disease was 6%, 36%, 50%, and 67% for T1, T2, T3, and T4 tumors, respectively. Twenty-five percent of patients undergoing elective neck dissection were pathological N+. All pathological confirmed nodal disease was at level I or II. Of the 43 patients with clinical N0 disease, 16% subsequently developed regional recurrence, all of which were surgically salvaged. CONCLUSION: Locoregional control in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue can be achieved with primary surgical therapy. Adequate margins are crucial to local control. Salvage neck dissection may result in long-term survival for patients with regional relapse. Because of the high rate of occult disease (41%), we currently recommend prophylactic treatment of regional lymphatics for primary clinical disease of T2 or greater.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the floor of mouth: a 20-year review.

BACKGROUND: This study retrospectively examines our treatment choices and outcomes with patients diagnosed with squamous cell cancer of the floor of mouth. Because of our division's past strong surgical bias in the treatment of this disease, we have assessed the results of a patient population treated largely by surgical extirpation. This clinical information has been used to draw conclusions and formulate treatment paradigms for patients with floor of mouth cancer. METHODS: Four hundred fifty patients with the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity received their primary treatment at Roswell Park Cancer Center (RPCI) from 1971 to 1991. Ninety-nine had disease originating in the floor of mouth and are the basis of this retrospective review. RESULTS: Forty-three percent of the patients had early-stage disease (stage I or II). Five-year survival for stages I through IV was 95%, 86%, 82%, and 52%, respectively. The incidence of occult cervical metastases for clinical stage I patients was 21%. For clinical stage II patients, the incidence was 62%. Local control of patients treated with surgery alone was 81%. The regional control rate for these patients was 71%. In patients where negative margins were achieved (> or = 5 mm), the local recurrence rate was 13%, regardless of T stage. Eleven percent of the patients underwent a course of postoperative radiotherapy; all had stage IV disease. When compared with advanced-stage patients undergoing surgery alone, there was a significantly improved regional control rate and a trend toward enhanced survival in the patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significantly high incidence of occult metastatic disease (21%) for T1 lesions or greater in floor of mouth cancer to warrant elective treatment of regional lymphatics. In patients treated with surgery alone with negative margins, the local control rate was 90% versus 62% when the margins were close or positive. Adjunctive radiotherapy showed a statistically significant (p = .005) increased regional control in patients with stage IV disease. Adjunctive radiotherapy is warranted for increased regional control of disease; good local control can be achieved in floor of mouth cancer with surgery alone when negative margins are obtained.

Comparison of the operating microscope and loupes for free microvascular tissue transfer.

A retrospective study of 200 consecutive free microvascular tissue transfers over a 3-year period was done to compare the performance of free-tissue transfers with loupes and with the operating microscope. One-hundred and nineteen flaps (59.5 percent) were performed under 3.5 x loupe magnification and 81 under the operating microscope (40.5 percent). The magnification selection process was based on cumulative past experience, with all early anastomoses performed with the microscope and the vast majority of the more recent operations performed with loupe magnification. Loupes were used preferentially for head and neck reconstruction and breast reconstruction. The microscope was required for performing vascular anastomoses on children and on vessels less than or equal to 1.5 mm in diameter. Results were compared with respect to etiology of defect, type of flap, age of patient, free-flap success, complications, and overall success of the reconstruction. There was no difference in outcome between the two groups, with free-flap success rates of 99 percent for both the loupe and the microscope groups. We believe that our success with loupe-only free-tissue transfers is attributable to our prior considerable experience with the microscope. We would caution that comfort and experience with microanastomoses under the operating microscope should be obtained prior to beginning a loupe-only experience.

Craniofacial and head and neck applications of the transaxillary latissimus dorsi flap.

The use of a transaxillary latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap is suitable whenever a large volume of tissue is required for head and neck reconstruction. Our series of 63 transaxillary latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap reconstructions included three cases of complete flap necrosis and ten cases of partial flap necrosis. When used in reconstructive head and neck surgery, the latissimus dorsi vascular pedicle is separate from the radiated field. The pedicled latissimus dorsi flap provides coverage of the orbitocranium, including the supraorbital region and central portion of the upper face. In the event that the pedicle muscle flap does not reach far enough cephalad, the nutrient vessels can be separated from the axillary artery and anastomosed to vessels in the neck. Combined defects of the esophagus, the mandibulofacial region, and the neck may be reconstructed with a single large latissimus dorsi flap. In our experience, aesthetic and functional deficits have been well tolerated by patients after latissimus dorsi reconstruction. Disadvantages of the latissimus dorsi flap include repositioning of the patient, increased blood loss, and longer operating time. Permanent brachial plexus injury can also occur. In general, the transaxillary latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap should not be used when defects can be reconstructed using simpler methods.

Benign parotid tumors: a 24-year experience.

The medical records of 125 patients benign parotid neoplasms surgically treated over a 24-year period were retrospectively reviewed; 128 tumors were excised. These included 90 pleomorphic adenomas, 33 Warthin's tumors, 3 benign lymphoepitheliomas, and 2 oncocytomas. The surgical procedures consisted of 2 local excisions, 6 enucleations, 88 superficial parotidectomies, 13 subtotal parotidectomies, and 3 radical parotidectomies. The morbidity rate was 49%. There was one total permanent facial nerve paralysis (0.7%), four (3%) partial permanent facial nerve paralysis, five (5%) transient total facial nerve paralysis, and 32 (25%) partial transient facial nerve paralysis. After a median follow-up of 84 months, there was one recurrence (0.7%). A superficial parotidectomy is the minimum procedure that should be performed for the treatment of a benign parotid neoplasm.

Recurrent malignant salivary gland neoplasms.

Recurrent salivary gland malignancies present difficult therapeutic decisions and poor prognosis in many instances, and treatment becomes of a palliative nature only. As many of the salivary gland malignancies we see are of the recurrent type, the following study was done to determine the efficacy of a vigorous attempt at retreatment. During the period January 1, 1960, through December 31, 1984, 352 patients with major and minor salivary gland tumors were evaluated at our institution. There were 149 benign lesions and 203 patients with malignant tumors. Of these, 99 patients had recurrent and metastatic tumors that had been treated initially elsewhere. Thirty-three of these patients were able to be treated with curative intent: surgery, 21; surgery plus radiation, 9; radiation therapy alone, 2; and radiation plus chemotherapy, 1. The 5 year survival with no evidence of disease was achieved in three patients with surgery alone and two patients with surgery plus radiation therapy. The group of five patients was comprised of two patients with adenoid cystic carcinomas of the parotid, one with intermediate grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid, one, sebaceous cell carcinoma of the parotid, and one, adenoid cystic carcinoma of an accessory salivary gland. The results of this study serve to re-emphasize the relative poor yield of attempts at retreatment of loco-regional recurrence of salivary gland tumors.

Surgical management of squamous cell carcinoma of the floor of the mouth.

Treatment failure and survival in 209 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the floor of the mouth treated with surgery as the single curative modality are reported. Fifty percent of the patients had stage III and IV disease. The primary tumor was excised with 1 to 2 cm margins and the mandible was resected in 73 percent of the patients; 77 percent underwent radical neck dissection. No cures were observed in 11 patients with involved surgical margins on permanent section. For 198 patients with uninvolved margins, determinate survival at 5 years for all stages was 49 percent and 69, 64, 46, and 26 percent for stages I through IV (p less than 0.01). The most common sites of initial and ultimate treatment failure were the neck (42 of 72 patients) and distant metastases (33 of 53 patients), respectively. Treatment of the neck is identified as an unresolved problem in the management of early stage disease. Recent improvements in survival for stage III and IV disease are accounted for, in part, by adequate surgical resection.

Major head and neck reconstruction using the deltopectoral flap. A 20 year experience.

Six hundred seventy-eight deltopectoral flaps were raised in 604 patients, 125 of which were delayed and 215 of which were used in previously irradiated beds. The rate of major flap necrosis was 16.9 percent and the overall rate of complications, 51.4 percent. Delay in creating the deltopectoral flap had no influence on the risk of complications and necrosis, whereas the use of the flap in a previously irradiated bed was associated with a significantly increased risk of major flap necrosis. The least flap loss occurred when the deltopectoral flap was used without tubulation for skin coverage only. Complications and flap necrosis occurred most frequently when flaps were tubulated in a reversed manner or used for lining of major portions of or for total oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal reconstruction. The deltopectoral flap remains a useful, reliable, and versatile regional flap that can be used alone or in combination with other flaps in selected circumstances for major head and neck reconstruction.

Transaxillary latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction in head and neck cancer. Limitations and refinements in 56 cases.

The transaxillary latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap is suitable whenever a large volume of tissue is required for head and neck reconstruction. Fifty-six transaxillary latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap reconstructions were performed in 55 patients. There were two cases of complete flap necrosis and eight cases of partial flap necrosis. The latissimus dorsi vascular pedicle is separate from the irradiated field. The pedicled latissimus dorsi flap provides coverage of the orbitocranium, including the supraorbital region and central portion of the upper face. In the event that the pedicled latissimus dorsi flap does not reach far enough cephalad, the nutrient vessels may be separated from the axillary artery and anastomosed to vessels in the neck. Combined defects of the esophagus, mandibulofacial region, and neck may be reconstructed with a single large latissimus dorsi flap. Hairless skin particularly suitable for oral cavity reconstruction is usually available. Aesthetic and functional deficits are minimal after latissimus dorsi reconstruction. Disadvantages of this technique include repositioning of the patient, increased blood loss, and longer operating time. Permanent brachial plexus injury may occur. The latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap should not be used when defects can be reconstructed by simpler methods.

Total glossectomy.

Forty-five patients had a "total" glossectomy for initial advanced tongue carcinoma or for recurrent carcinoma. Forty percent of the patients (18) had a total laryngectomy at the time of glossectomy. Forty-nine percent of the patients (22) had either a lateral or anterior mandibulectomy at the time of glossectomy. Seventy-one percent of the patients (15 of 21) who had an intact larynx and 12.5 percent who had laryngectomy (3 of 24) had some degree of useful speech. Thirty-one percent of the patients (14 of 45) had no problems in deglutition whereas 53 percent of the patients (24) needed a nasogastric tube, 4 patients inserted the feeding tube themselves, 2 had a cervical esophagostomy, and 1 had a special prosthesis for feeding purposes. Thirty-seven percent of the patients (10 of 27) had considerable aspiration problems. Twenty-two percent (6 patients) needed a laryngectomy, and 7.5 percent (2 patients) needed a cervical esophagostomy to prevent further problems. Seven and one-half percent of the patients (2) succumbed to serious pulmonary infection. In this study, total glossectomy had a salvage rate of 65 percent at 6 months postoperatively, 27.5 percent at 1 year, 25 percent at 2 years, 25 percent at 3 years, 20 percent at 5 years, and 10 percent at 10 years.

Massive basal cell carcinoma of the scalp: successful management by cooperation of chemosurgeon and reconstructive surgeon.

No single modality is appropriate for treatment of the huge invasive basal cell carcinoma. Mohs' chemosurgery is perhaps the most efficacious ablative method, but it must be supplemented by a reconstructive procedure in nearly all sizable lesions. A case history is presented of a patient with massive basal cell carcinoma involving the entire posterior scalp and deep tissues in which chemosurgical ablation and major staged reconstruction proceeded concurrently to a successful conclusion. The advantages of this approach are discussed.

Bone dust cranioplasty: case report.

The use of the bone dust technique of cranioplasty, in a case of neglected basal cell carcinoma of the scalp, is described. A minor modification of the technique was the covering of the bone paste with a layer of oxycellulose, to protect it from disruption and to provide a matrix for new bone growth. A rapid restoration of a sizeable portion of the bony cranial vault was achieved.

A technique for radical dissection of the neck.

Modifications in the technique for the performance of standard radical neck dissection have been used for the past 12 years at this institute. The use of transverse skin incisions, removal of the platysma muscle and proceedings from a posterior to anterior direction are stressed in this procedure. Primary healing, reconstruction and cosmesis have been quite good, and local recurrences have been minimal. The five year survival rates for each type of cancer of the head and neck are comparable with those obtained at other cancer referral centers.