{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T09:30:19Z","timestamp":1769506219312,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,21]],"date-time":"2023-03-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1679356800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Flap reconstruction is commonly used in advanced tongue carcinoma in order to compensate for the loss of tongue tissue and function. Surprisingly, a large number of reconstructed early-stage tongue cancer can be found. Survival or functional benefits in these cases remain unclear. Methods: A retrospective data analysis of 384 surgically treated tongue carcinoma patients was conducted aiming to find epidemiologic and survival differences between patients with (n = 158) or without flap reconstruction (n = 226). A prospective functional analysis was performed on 55 early-stage tongue cancer patients, 33 without and 22 with radial-forearm flap reconstruction, focusing on post-therapeutic swallowing function as the primary endpoint, speech as the secondary endpoint, xerostomia, quality of life, and mouth opening. Results: Consistent with the current literature, we demonstrated the significantly more frequent use of flap grafts in advanced tongue carcinomas. For the first time, we depicted a higher female ratio in the reconstructed group (p = 0.02). There were no significant differences in survival or functional outcomes between the groups. The none-reconstructed group showed more frequent use of adjuvant C\/RT despite presenting fewer N+ stages. Conclusions: The higher female ratio in the reconstruction group is plausible due to the anatomically smaller oral cavity and relatively larger carcinoma in women. A higher presence of close margins in the none-reconstruction group may explain the more frequent use of adjuvant C\/RT. Since we found no survival or functional differences between the groups, we propose a critical approach toward flap reconstruction in T1\/2 tongue carcinoma. At the same time, proportional aspects and adequate resection margins should be taken into account.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers15061885","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,22]],"date-time":"2023-03-22T06:00:01Z","timestamp":1679464801000},"page":"1885","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Comparison of T1\/2 Tongue Carcinoma with or without Radial Forearm Flap Reconstruction Regarding Post-Therapeutic Function, Survival, and Gender"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Katharina","family":"El-Shabrawi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Centre, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany"},{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University, 81675 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Katharina","family":"Storck","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University, 81675 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jochen","family":"Weitz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic and Policlinic for Oro-Maxillofacial Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University, 81675 Munich, Germany"},{"name":"Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Josefinum, Augsburg and Private Practice Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery im Pferseepark, 86157 Augsburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Klaus-Dietrich","family":"Wolff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic and Policlinic for Oro-Maxillofacial Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University, 81675 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andreas","family":"Knopf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Centre, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany"},{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University, 81675 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"124","DOI":"10.1016\/j.oraloncology.2017.02.015","article-title":"MicroRNAs in human tongue squamous cell carcinoma: From pathogenesis to therapeutic implications","volume":"67","author":"Karatas","year":"2017","journal-title":"Oral Oncol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1941","DOI":"10.1002\/ijc.31937","article-title":"Estimating the global cancer incidence and mortality in 2018: GLOBOCAN sources and methods","volume":"144","author":"Ferlay","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. 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