Abstract
A total of 22 patients who had a superficial tongue cancer which was limited to the submucosal layer underwent partial glossectomy by laser surgery at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, between 1981 and 2002. They consisted of 18 patients of T1 and four of T2. Thirteen of the 22 patients were males and nine were females. The mean age was 60.7 years, ranging from 31 to 76 years. Laser surgery was able to control hemorrhaging and to remove lesions accurately, because unlike an electrotome, it does not show electrocontractility during the operation. The surgery was also able to reduce postoperative pain and edema because of minimal damage to adjacent tissue, thus keeping functional disorders to a minimum. Of the 22 patients, recurrence and regional lymph node metastasis were observed in 2 (9.1%) and 1 (4.5%), respectively. Two patients who had recurrence were both T1 cases showing erosive type and white plaque type in clinical characteristics. One of the two patients who had recurrence had regional lymph node metastasis, and the patient died from regional lymph node metastasis. It is suggested that partial glossectomy by laser surgery is correctly indicated in any superficial tongue cancer leaving no postoperative dysfunction irrespective of T classification.
