Soft palate preservation after tumor resection with transoral laser microsurgery

BACKGROUND Management and preservation of the soft palate is dependent on clinical stage and tumor histology. However, available literature is scarce regarding the palate preservation with the use of laser CO₂. OBJECTIVES We report the results obtained after management with laser surgery and soft palate preservation in three patients with salivary gland neoplasms. METHOD Three patients with minor salivary gland tumors were treated by means of transoral laser microsurgery. All tumors were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. All tumors were >3 cm. Soft palate function was preserved and reconstruction was performed with primary closure. Patients began oral feeding the same day and were discharged after 24 h. CONCLUSIONS Transoral laser microsurgery is recommended for treatment of soft palate tumors. This treatment can be considered a better option when compared with other modalities such as radio- or chemoradiotherapy which require a longer time of treatment, are more expensive and tend to produce significant toxicity.