Surgical resection of oral cancer: en-bloc versus discontinuous approach

Objectives: In the past literature agreed on treating oral carcinomas, using an “en-bloc” resection (EBR) but recently minimally invasive transoral surgery has spread as the preferable treatment for selected cases. This latter technique, which is performed with a discontinuous resection (DR), allows for a satisfactory postoperative quality of life (QoL) maintaining good survival rates. Materials and methods: In this study, we analyzed data about 147 surgically treated patients with oral cancer involving tongue and floor of the mouth. The sample was divided according to the surgical approach: EBR and DR group which were compared in terms of recurrence, overall survival, disease-free survival, and QoL. Results: In the DR group, survival analysis showed better results in term of survival, locoregional control, and postoperative anxiety, while the other QoL scores were similar in the two groups. Conclusion: The more invasive approach does not correlate to a better outcome. In selected cases, DR is an oncologically safe technique; EBR is still a valid option to treat advanced oral cancers.