title: Second primary squamous cell carcinoma arising in cutaneous flap reconstructions of two head and neck cancer patients.
abstract: Early complications of myocutaneous flap transfers following surgical eradication of head and neck tumors have been extensively described. However, knowledge concerning long-term complications of these techniques remains limited. We report the cases of two patients with a prior history of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC), who developed a second primary SCC on the cutaneous surface of their flaps, years after reconstruction. Interestingly, it seems that the well-known risk of a second primary SCC in patients with previous head and neck carcinoma also applies to foreign tissues implanted within the area at risk. Given the important expansion of these interventions, this type of complication may become more frequent in the future. Therefore, long-term follow-up of patients previously treated for HNSCC not only requires careful evaluation of the normal mucosa of the upper aero-digestive tract, but also of the cutaneous surface of the flap used for reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 25, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Monnier
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasche
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monnier
authors.forename: Snezana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andrejevic-Blant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D010160:Palate, Soft / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000601:surgery; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014067:Tonsillar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014140:Tracheotomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome