reconstruction – Page 2 – Oral Cancer News

Strides made in tonsil cancer repair

Source: health.usnews.com Author: staff Surgery on tonsil cancer patients can spell trouble for the palate, but now researchers say they've developed a technique that helps preserve the ability to speak clearly and eat most foods. Traditionally, surgeons use big pieces of tissue to reconstruct the area after tonsil tumors are removed. But the patients who undergo this treatment can suffer "quality of life issues," study author Dr. Douglas Chepeha, an associate professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery and director of the microvascular program at the University of Michigan Health System, said in a school news release. The treatment "affects speech and eating -- typically, patients have difficulty eating when they have this kind of tumor and undergo surgery," he said. The new treatment, which uses tissue from another part of the body, helps ensure that the tongue can move more efficiently. The study authors, who report their findings in the current issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, followed 25 patients with tonsil cancer for an average of five years. "In particular, patients who have less than half their palate removed do very well with this reconstruction. We're trying to make sure the remaining tongue and palate they have really work. Our goal is to get patients eating in public and back to work," Chepeha said. Tonsil cancer is a form of throat cancer, which will kill an estimated 2,230 Americans this year.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-18T18:41:04-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Speaking and swallowing seems to be possible post tonsil cancer surgery

Source: www.healthjockey.com Author: staff Cancer of the tonsil is said to be one among the head and neck cancers. It apparently develops in the part of the throat just behind your mouth, called the oropharynx. Smoking and consuming alcohol may increase the risk for tonsil cancer. After a tonsil cancer surgery, it is believed that patients cannot speak or eat properly. But a new method for reconstructing the palate post surgery for tonsil cancer apparently preserved the capability of the patients to speak clearly and devour majority of the foods. This technique was developed at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Tonsil cancer apparently develops in the back of the throat, which could mean that surgery could contain parts of the palate, the tongue and the jaw. In conventional reconstruction efforts, a huge round piece of tissue was apparently taken to plug the hole left when the tumor is supposedly detached. But this apparently damages the way the palate and tongue function, and may not reinstate the intricate mechanism of the throat that may enable an individual to speak and swallow. Study author Douglas Chepeha, M.D., M.S.P.H., associate professor of otolaryngology head and neck surgery and director of the microvascular program at the University of Michigan Health System, commented, “This is the area that triggers swallowing, that separates the mouth from the nasal cavity. It affects speech and eating – typically, patients have difficulty eating when they have this kind of tumor and undergo surgery. We can remove the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-09-27T18:21:04-07:00September, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Speaking, eating possible after tonsil cancer surgery with reconstruction

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: press release A new technique for reconstructing the palate after surgery for tonsil cancer maintained patients' ability to speak clearly and eat most foods, a new study shows. The technique, developed at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, is described in the September Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. "This is the area that triggers swallowing, that separates the mouth from the nasal cavity. It affects speech and eating – typically, patients have difficulty eating when they have this kind of tumor and undergo surgery. We can remove the cancer, but there are major quality of life issues," says study author Douglas Chepeha, M.D., M.S.P.H., associate professor of otolaryngology head and neck surgery and director of the microvascular program at the University of Michigan Health System. Tonsil cancer develops in the back of the throat, which means surgery could include parts of the palate, the tongue and the jaw. Traditional reconstruction efforts have meant taking a large, round piece of tissue to plug the hole left when the tumor is removed. But this impairs the way the palate and tongue function, and does not restore the complex components of the throat that allow a person to speak and swallow. With the new technique, surgeons first create a tube from the remaining palate by attaching the palate to the back part of the throat, next to where the tumor was removed. This tube separates the mouth from the nasal cavity and closes during swallowing, allowing [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-09-22T06:01:18-07:00September, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Carotid artery resection and reconstruction with superficial femoral artery transplantation: a case report

Source: 7thspace.com Author: staff Introduction: Managing advanced head and neck cancer is often a difficult task, particularly when massive invasion of the carotid artery is present. However, en bloc resection can be a curative procedure, and reconstruction of the carotid artery limits the risk for stroke. The aim of this study was to describe the interest, indication, potential risks, and methods by which we carried out resections as well as reconstructions of the carotid artery using superficial femoral artery transplantation. Subjects and Methods: We presented one case of en bloc resection of the carotid artery with reconstruction with superficial femoral artery transplantation. Results: Postoperative care was uneventful. The patient did not suffer from neurological deficiency. After three years of follow-up, the patient survived without any cancer recurrence. Conclusions: The occurrence of massive cancer invasion into the carotid artery should not be a contraindication for surgery. En bloc resection of the carotid artery with revascularization using the superficial femoral artery allows for appropriate control of the cancer, and carries an acceptable level of neurological risk. Authors: Yoann PonsElsa Ukkola-PonsPhilippe ClementBernard BarangerClaude Conessa Source: Head &Neck Oncology 2009, 1:19

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-06-18T14:39:50-07:00June, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Microvascular free tissue transfer for tongue reconstruction after hemiglossectomy: a functional assessment of radial forearm versus anterolateral thigh flap

Source: J Oral Maxillofac Surg, November 1, 2008; 66(11): 2270-5 Authors: JC de Vicente et al. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate tongue function and donor site morbidity in patients with oral cancer surgically treated and reconstructed with radial or anterolateral thigh free flaps. Patients and Methds: Twenty patients underwent primary reconstruction after hemiglossectomy between January 2002 and June 2004. Ten patients were reconstructed using a free forearm flap and the remaining with an anterolateral thigh flap. Eight patients on each group underwent postoperative radiotherapy (average, 60 Gy). All of them were followed postoperatively to determine after 6 months their functional outcome as it related to speech, deglutition, tongue mobility, and donor site morbidity. The intelligibility, deglutition, and tongue mobility were each scored on a scale ranging from 1 to 7 by an independent investigator. Data were analyzed by the 2-tail Mann-Whitney U test. Results: No differences in mean speech intelligibility, tongue mobility, or deglutition mean scores were seen between radial forearm flap and anterolateral thigh flap (P > .05). In all anterolateral thigh flap-treated cases, the donor site was closed directly and no complications were seen. However, in all forearm flaps donor site closure was carried out with skin grafts and dorsal forearm splinting was applied for 1 week postoperatively. In 4 cases a partial skin graft failure was observed and donor sites healed for second intention. Conclusion: Anterolateral thigh flap, with its versatility in design, long pedicle with a suitable vessel diameter, and low donor [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-11-03T09:37:01-07:00November, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Quality of life in patients treated for cancer of the oral cavity requiring reconstruction: a prospective study

Source: Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital, June 1, 2008; 28(3): 120-5 Authors: AB Villaret et al. Surgical treatment for cancer of the oral cavity can result in dramatic aesthetic and functional sequelae partially avoidable by reconstructive techniques. Many studies concerning quality of life have been carried out in order to retrospectively assess outcomes after such major oncological procedures. Aim of this study was to evaluate, in a prospective fashion, the quality of life as a primary endpoint in patients treated for cancers involving the oral cavity and requiring reconstruction. The study design consisted of a prospective evaluation of pre- and post-operative quality of life at 3, 6, and 12 months to assess variations during follow-up using two different questionnaires: the University of Washington Quality of Life and the Head and Neck Performance Status Scale. Between May 1999 and October 2004, 92 patients with oral cancer requiring reconstruction were treated. All were included in the study, but only 35 (38%) concluded the evaluation protocol at one year after surgery without evidence of disease. The mean pre- and post-operative (3, 6, and 12 months) scores of the questionnaires and the scores of specific University of Washington Quality of Life categories (disfigurement, chewing, swallowing, comprehension of speech) were evaluated. The impact on residual quality of life of different factors such as gender, extension of tongue and mandibular defects, type of reconstruction, and radiotherapy was statistically quantified with a Wilcoxon non-parametric test and logistic regression for multivariate analysis. Comparison of mean pre- and post-operative scores between [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-07-28T20:53:16-07:00July, 2008|Oral Cancer News|