Rotational Flap Reconstruction Helps Oral Cancer Patient Resume Treatment

Doctors at Taiwan’s Taoyuan Hospital used an autologous rotational flap to reconstruct the mouth of a man in his 60s whose stage-four oral cancer had spread into surrounding tissue.

The patient needed extensive tumor-removal surgery. After assessing his condition, the hospital’s medical team used healthy tissue from near the mouth and neck to cover the resulting defect. The tissue retained its original blood supply as it was rotated into place, allowing doctors to avoid microsurgical reconnection of blood vessels.

Physician Chang Wei-chieh said conventional reconstruction for large oral defects often uses a free flap taken from the forearm or thigh. That method requires microsurgery to restore circulation, can lengthen the operation and requires monitoring for blood-vessel blockage afterward. The rotational flap can shorten the procedure and reduce blood loss, potentially making postoperative care less complex.

The patient recovered well after surgery and gradually regained oral function. Because the wound healed properly, he was able to continue the treatment plan with radiation and chemotherapy.

Chang said the approach does not suit every patient. Head and neck surgeons, reconstructive plastic surgeons, oral surgeons and oncology teams must assess the tumor’s location, the extent of removal and the size of the defect before selecting a reconstruction strategy. The report also identified smoking, drinking alcohol and chewing betel nuts as risk factors for oral cancer, noting that early symptoms can be mistaken for ordinary mouth injuries.