Exploratory Study on Guide Wire-Guided Tongue Resection under Ultrasonography for Adequate Safe Margins in Tongue Cancer Surgery / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The adequate safety margin in tongue cancer is the most important prognostic factor for local recurrence and survival. This study aimed to evaluate the resection margins using a new technique of tongue resection under the guidance of guide wire under ultrasonography in patients with tongue cancer. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: In this prospective study, 10 patients with presurgical, biopsy-proven, clinical T1 or T2 tongue squamous cell carcinomas underwent resection under the guidance of guide wire inserted using ultrasonography. The data of resection margins of 37 patients who underwent partial glossectomy using the conventional method of palpation were used as control data. RESULTS: The mean safety margins (mm) of the experimental group were 7.59±4.30 (anterior), 8.56±4.69 (posterior), 5.25±3.01 (superior), 5.93±3.66 (inferior), 13.00±13.29 (medial), 5.78±2.64 (deep), and 6.67±3.06 (lateral). There were no differences in the safety margins between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Using guide wire under ultrasonography was not superior to the conventional method for partial glossectomy for having adequate resection margins.