Mandibular swing approach: 25 years of experience at Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan

Between 1997 and 2022, 108 patients underwent the lip-splitting mandibulotomy approach (LSMA) as part of the surgical treatment for oral (49 patients) and oropharyngeal (59) tumors. Seventy-two tumors were primary, and 36 were recurrent/persistent; the most common histology was squamous cell carcinoma (99). Immediate reconstruction of the defect was performed using free flaps (72), pectoralis major musculocutaneous pedicled flaps (32), and local flaps (4).

Margin status was assessed in all cases; free margins were achieved in 78 patients (72 %), while 30 patients (28 %) had positive or close margins. For primary tumors, margins were free in 76 %, whereas in the recurrent-persistent group the percentage dropped to 64 %.

Most patients (82) received radiotherapy.

Fifty patients experienced one or more postoperative complications, most of them in patients who received radiotherapy (41 out of 82 patients, 50 %), compared to 9 out of 26 patients (35 %) who did not undergo radiotherapy.

Bone-related complications occurred 15 times, all in patients who had undergone radiotherapy; postoperative fistulas were observed in 18 patients, with 7 having received preoperative radiotherapy.

After an average follow-up of 51 months (range 2–274 months), 54 out of 99 patients (54 %) were alive without disease, while 38 (38 %) died of cancer. The 4-year overall survival rates for patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancers were 47 % and 36 %, respectively.

In conclusion, LSMA can be recommended in cases of advanced neoplasms, where the best outcomes are achievable only if the tumor can be resected with clear margins and the resulting defect can be effectively reconstructed.