Abstract
BackgroundOral squamous cell carcinoma (oSCC) commonly affects the tongue. Surgical reconstruction contributes to improvements in quality of life. Therefore, we conducted this systematic review to compare the quality of life among patients who underwent glossectomy and then reconstructed with radial-free forearm flap (RFFF) versus anterolateral thigh flap (ALTF) in terms of functional outcome, flap survival, complications, donor site morbidity, and esthetic outcome.MethodsThis systematic review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The study systematically reviewed MEDLINE, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases without specifying a time frame.ResultsAs a result of reviewing literature, 95 articles were screened by full-text resulting in 36 articles which met our inclusion/exclusion criteria. However, only 14 articles were included in the quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis). Out of the 36 articles, 24 studies were excluded from the meta-analysis due to the inclusion of one arm (RFFF or ALTF), and 3 articles were excluded due to the lack of the primary outcomes.ConclusionsOur results show evidence of lower donor site morbidity and a better esthetic outcome for ALTF compared to RFFF. Speech and swallowing were both affected following tongue reconstruction.Level of evidence: Not gradable.