The Submental Island Flap In Lingual Cancer Reconstruction

Purpose: Large defects resulting from surgical excision of oral cancer require various kinds of flap to reconstruct the defect. Therefore the aim of this study is to assess the application potentials of submental island flap in lingual cancer. Methods: Over the 3 years, submental island flap has been studied in a 13 cases of lingual cancer patients and follow-up was accordingly done. The sites, stage of tumor, pattern of neck dissection, technique of flap transfer as well as postoperative complications were recorded. Results: The submental island flap was used for reconstruction after lingual cancer ablation in 13 patients in our department (9 men and 4 women) from 2013 to 2015. The average age of the patients was 50.8 years (range 37 to 69 years). The follow-up period ranged from 5 to 24 months. Size of the skin paddle ranged for 5.5x4 cm to 8x4 cm. There were no cases of marginal mandible nerve palsy. In all cases, good skin color and texture match were achieved. Not any debulking of flap was found in patients. The donor site recovered well without any scar remaining and any restriction of neck movement. Conclusions: The submental island flap is an excellent alternative for reconstruction of lingual cancer defect due to its reliability, versatility, and relative ease of application. More studies will be performed to follow-up the long-term observation of the patients.