title: Principles and practice of reconstructive surgery for head and neck cancer.
abstract: Reconstruction after surgical treatment of head and neck cancers can be challenging. Goals for reconstruction include restoration of appearance as well as function when appropriate. Commonly encountered sites requiring reconstruction include the soft tissues of the face (including the critical areas of the eyes, ears, nose, and lips), scalp, tongue and oral cavity, maxilla, mandible, and pharynx. Advanced reconstructive techniques using microsurgery may be preferable to simpler techniques to obtain optimal outcomes. In this article, techniques for reconstruction in these areas as well as anticipated outcomes are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA. Electronic address: sameer.patel@fccc.edu.
authors.forename: Sameer A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA.
authors.forename: Eric I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D013524:Surgical Flaps
keywords: Free flap; Head and neck reconstruction; Mandible reconstruction; Microsurgery; Oral cavity reconstruction; Pharyngeal reconstruction; Tongue reconstruction