Ear Nose Throat and Head and Neck Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. An aggressive tumor was detected in the patient who reached Tayfun Apuhan, spreading from the floor of his mouth to his left jaw. The dangerous tumor, which also metastasized, was successfully removed in a 3-hour operation. A walnut-sized tumor was removed from the patient’s cheek, and a new cheek was made by transplanting tissue taken from the chest area.
Prof. said that the patient who was fed with a straw and could slowly talk came back from death. Dr. Apuhan said, “We had to remove part of the tongue and jaw. Since the tumor spread to the patient’s neck, we also cleaned the neck area. While our patient was at the point of losing important vital functions such as speaking, eating and drinking, he was restored to health by performing a successful cheek transplant with the tissue we took from his chest.” “We started feeding the patient orally and he can swallow easily. We will be discharged soon,” he said.
Aiganym Yeleuova’s disease recurred because the tumor could not be completely cleared. However, Yeleuova, who could not be treated in hospitals in Kazakhstan due to the risk of the re-operation, was consulted by Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Head and Neck Surgery Specialist Prof. at Hisar Hospital Intercontinental in Turkey. Dr. Tayfun applied to Apuhan.
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Apuhan said, “The most important factor in such cases is not to leave any residual tumor behind. We had to take action to prevent it from residueizing the skin. In our patient; We had to remove skin, part of the tongue at the floor of the mouth, and part of the chin. At the same time, since the tumor had spread to the neck area, we also removed the tumor in this area. The most important thing here was to ensure reconstruction (restoring the function of the limb by ensuring anatomical integrity). After removing the entire tumor, we needed to transfer tissue to the empty area. In this patient, we completed the surgery by transferring the muscle and skin in the chest area. We are on the eighth day after surgery. We started to feed the patient orally and he can swallow easily. “We will be discharged soon,” he said.
“ORAL TUMORS HAVE AN AGGRESSIVE PROGRESS”
Pointing out that floor of mouth tumors are very aggressive, Prof. Dr. Apuhan said, “It spreads in a very short time and can put the patient’s life at risk. Floor of the mouth tumors have an important place in the entire head and neck region. Since these are very aggressive, the treatment is surgery in the first place. When performing surgery, it is absolutely necessary not to leave tumor tissue behind. This area is especially sensitive. “Since it is important both functionally and cosmetically, its surgery is a bit troublesome,” he said.
“TURKEY IS IN A VERY GOOD PLACE IN THESE SURGICAL METHODS”
Prof. stated that conditions such as facial paralysis and tongue paralysis may occur in such operations. Dr. Apuhan said, “Especially, the transferred tissue could have had a malnutrition problem, that is, necrosis. But we are on the eighth day. The patient is very healthy and can eat easily. As Türkiye, we are in a very good place in this regard. We can say this with pride. Especially in the ethology of head and neck tumors; Things such as smoking, alcohol, the HPV virus, which has increased recently, exposure to ultraviolet or radiation, pave the way for cancer. We see it a little more frequently in men and at older ages. “From environmental factors, lifestyle, poor oral hygiene, all of these are reasons and prepare the ground for tumors,” he warned.