PP156: Morbidity of partial glossectomy in the patients with mobile tongue cancers

Purpose Articulation & swallowing difficulty are common functional morbidity in the patients underwent tongue cancer surgery. This study was performed to evaluate articulation & swallowing disability in the patients underwent partial glossectomy without reconstruction. And it also aimed to analysis clinical characteristics & demography in patients with the sequelae. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed medical charts and interviewed the patients by telephone from 1985 through 2011. One hundred ninety-six patients of 266 had early stage tongue cancer, and 132 patients underwent partial glossectomy without reconstruction. Among them, 63 patients responded the telephone interview. Results Most patients had good functional outcomes after partial glossectomy. Morbidity was affected by resection volume of tongue and follow-up period after operation rather than the stages. Additional neck dissection and postoperative radiotherapy were not be related operational morbidity in partial glossectomy patients. In most of the early stage patients, reconstruction is not necessary even resection volume over 50 cm 3 . Conclusions Early mobile tongue cancer patients generally showed good functional outcomes after partial glossectomy even without the reconstruction.