Study Cohort
We conducted a retrospective, multicenter chart review of patients with
solid malignancies originating of the cheek who underwent tumor
resection and free flap reconstruction between 2012 and 2017. Patients
were treated at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck
Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Center 1), the Institute
of Head and Neck Diseases, Evangelical Hospital Vienna (Center 2), the
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Icahn School of
Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA (Center 3), and the Department of
Head and Neck Surgery, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and
Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan (Center 4).
Data of potential patients were provided by attending centers that were
further evaluated regarding appropriateness by two authors individually
(S.J., B.E.). Patients had to fulfill following inclusion criteria:
carcinomas with infiltration of the cheek, including oral carcinomas,
carcinomas of the nasal cavity, skin and parotid gland (I), solid
carcinomas (II), radical tumor resection with free flap reconstruction
(III), primary or recurrent carcinomas (IV). In case of any
disagreement, cases were reevaluated until consensus could be achieved.
Finally, 47 patients were eligible for inclusion and analysis.