Comparison of Clinical Results and Quality-of-Life in Tongue Cancer Patients Undergoing Submental Island Flap and Radial Forearm Free Flap Reconstruction

Abstract

Our goal was to compare the clinical results and quality-of-life (QoL) in tongue cancer patients undergoing submental island pedicled (SIP) flap and radial forearm free (RFF) flap reconstruction. Patients undergoing SIP or RFF flap reconstruction for primary tongue squamous cell carcinoma were prospectively enrolled and were asked to complete the University of Washington Quality-of-Life (UW-QOL) questionnaire, version 4, at 12months after the operation. The study's main interest was QoL as well as locoregional recurrence control. A total of 190 patients were enrolled for analysis, and the SIP and RFF groups showed significant differences in patient age, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, and hospital cost. In the survival analysis, locoregional recurrence occurred in 35 patients in the SIP group and 48 patients in the RFF group; the difference was not significant (P=.440). In the QoL analysis, compared with patients in the SIP group, those in the RFF group had higher scores in the domains of activity and recreation. No significant differences were found with respect to the other domains. The SIP flap and RFF flap have comparable survival control in tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients. The RFF flap might lead to better QoL, but the SIP flap imposes fewer limitations on patients' health status and is associated with lower hospital cost.