Quality of life in patients after resection of pT3 lateral tongue carcinoma: Microvascular reconstruction versus primary closure.

BACKGROUND Controversy exists regarding the functional advantages of free flap reconstruction after partial glossectomy as compared to primary closure. METHODS Forty patients were included in this retrospective analysis after resection of pT3 lateral tongue carcinomas. Twenty patients received a free forearm flap and 20 patients had a primary closure. All patients had adjuvant chemoradiation, were free of disease at least 1 year after therapy, and completed the German versions of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaires Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-questions (QLQ-C30) and Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 Head and Neck 35-questions (QLQ-H&N35). RESULTS Mean time between surgery and quality of life (QOL) assessment was 16.2 ± 3.4 months. The average resection was 41.60% (reconstruction) of the oral tongue, and 39.1% (primary closure). After reconstruction, patients had significantly (p > .05) fewer problems with the swallowing, speech, and social eating subdomains of the EORTC QLQ-H&N35. All other items showed no significant differences. CONCLUSION Our preliminary results suggest that free flaps might be useful when treating pT3 tongue cancer.