Surgical approach to the treatment of oropharyngeal carcinoma of lateral type

Abstract

The authors conducted a review of 25 patients who had undergone resection of the oropharyngeal cancer of lateral wall type during the period from 2002 to 2007. The patients consisted of 18 males and 7 females, and the average age was 58.8 years old. We divided the surgical approach used to treat the oropharyngeal cancer of lateral wall type into 3 types: 1. Trans-oral method, 2. Combined method, and 3. mandibular swing approach. Five patients had been treated with the trans-oral meth-od, 11 patients with the combined method, and 9 patients with the mandibular swing approach. All of the patients who had undergone the trans-oral method treatment were performed raw surface. Eight of the 11 patients who had undergone the combined method underwent microsurgical recon-struction, while the remaining 3 patients underwent primary closures. All patients who had under-gone the mandibular swing approach had microsurgical reconstruction performed. When we decide upon a surgical approach to use in the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer of lateral wall type, it is necessary to pay particular attention to the development range of the tumor as well as invasion to the root of the tongue and the internal pterygoid muscle.