Intra-flap recurrence of an oral squamous cell carcinoma after curative resection and reconstruction with a free flap

Intra-flap recurrence after reconstruction is a possible complication in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) after curative resection and reconstruction with a free flap.

This case report describes an intra-flap recurrence after tumor resection and reconstruction with a latissimus dorsi flap due to OSCC. We report a 58-year-old female patient who underwent curative resection of a squamous cell carcinoma in the oral cavity and submental area and reconstruction with a latissimus dorsi free flap. Thirteen months after the operation, the patient presented with lung metastases and, 22 months after the operation, a metastatic lesion in the flap's central area with no sign of recurrence in the primary resection site occurred. The patient died 25 months after the initial operation due to the rapid progression of the disease and further distant metastases. To our knowledge, similar cases do not exist in the literature. This is the first reported case of intra-flap metastasis after surgical treatment of OSCC.