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Call usHead and Neck Cancer Treatment London: Case Studies
Mrs ‘J S’ aged 59 was referred by another surgeon to one of the surgeons at London Bridge Hospital with a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior tongue. Following a full work up which involved a CT scan of the head and neck and chest the treatment plan was formulated.
As the tumour was 3-4 cms in diameter and over 7mm thick it was decided to recommend a neck dissection even though no lymph node involvement had been detected. A free vascularised radial forearm flap was recommended to fill the defect in the tongue after the tumour was removed.
It was felt that splitting the lip and jaw would give the best access to this tumour. As it was very likely that the remainder of the tongue would swell after the operation it was elected to carry out a temporary tracheostomy. Also as the tumour was positioned posteriorly it was felt that a gastrostomy should be placed pre-operatively to aid with feeding after the operation.
Following surgery Mrs ‘J S’ was in the high dependency unit for her first night. After this she went to the ward for one-to-one nursing. Mrs 'J S' made excellent progress.
The tracheostomy was removed four days after the operation and Mrs J’s speech was perfectly comprehensible at this stage.
Following a speech and language assessment Mrs 'J' began taking fluid by her mouth. Over the next few days she started taking nutritious soups and did not need to use her gastrostomy. She was discharged home after nine days in hospital.
Subsequently the histology showed that there was no tumour in the lymph nodes and the tumour had been completely removed. Radiotherapy or any other further treatment was felt not to be necessary.