Reconstruction surgery in head and neck cancer patients amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Current practice and lessons for the future

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Logic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced major changes to daily life and healthcare work, creating serious repercussions across health systems. Shifts in guidelines, priorities, professional teams, and epidemiological data affected cancer care, including delays in diagnosis, screening gaps, personnel shortages, and psychological burdens for patients. This article reviews management of oral carcinoma and surgical approaches used by oral and maxillofacial specialists during the emergency, highlighting key obstacles such as airway proximity, the need for timely procedures, tumor aggressiveness, and constrained resources. It discusses locoregional flaps as a reassessed “solution” and stresses the need for coordinated system-level improvements for future emergencies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Key points

| W | J | C | C | World Journal of
Clinical Cases | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Submit a Manuscript: [https://www.f6publishing.com](https://www.f6publishing.com) World J Clin Cases 2023 March 6; 11(7): 1434-1441 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i7.1434 ISSN 2307-8960 (online) OPINION REVIEW Reconstruction surgery in head and neck cancer patients amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Current practice and lessons for the future Daniele Lizambri, Andrea Giacalone, Pritik A Shah, Marcos Roberto Tovani-Palone Specialty type: Medicine, research and experimental Provenance and peer review: Invited article; Externally peer reviewed. Peer-review model: Single blind Peer-review report’s scientific quality classification Grade A (Excellent): 0 Grade B (Very good): B Grade C (Good): C, C, C Grade D (Fair): 0 Grade E (Poor): 0 P-Reviewer: Kadriyan H, Indonesia; Leowattana W, Thailand; Liu J, China; Pisani P, Italy Received: September 29, 2022 Peer-review started: September 29, 2022 First decision: November 25, 2022 Revised: December 20, 2022 Accepted: February 13, 2023 Article in press: February 13, 2023 Published online: March 6, 2023 Daniele Lizambri, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta 81100, Italy Andrea Giacalone, Department of Industrial Engineering, Technologies for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy Pritik A Shah, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Karnataka 560002, India Marcos Roberto Tovani-Palone, Department of Research Analytics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai 600077, India Corresponding author: Marcos Roberto Tovani-Palone, PhD, Academic Research, Department of Research Analytics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, 162, Poonamallee High Rd, Velappanchavadi, Chennai 600077, India. [marcos_palone@hotmail.com](marcos_palone@hotmail.com) Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed a radical change in daily life and work routine. In this context, health systems have suffered important and serious repercussions in all fields. Among the changes brought about by the state of global health emergency, adjustments to guidelines, priorities, structures, professional teams, and epidemiological data stand out. In light of this, the oncological field has witnessed several changes in the approach to cancer, whether due to delay in diagnosis, screening deficit, personnel shortage orthe psychological impact that the pandemic has had on cancer patients. This article focuses on the management of oral carcinoma and the surgical approaches that oral and maxillofacial specialists have had at their disposal during the health emergency. In this period, the oral and maxillofacial surgeons have faced many obstacles. The proximity of maxillofacial structures to the airways, the need of elective and punctual procedures in cancerous lesions, the aggressiveness of head and neck tumors, and the need for important healthcare costs to support such delicate surgeries are examples of some of the challenges imposed for this field. One of the possible surgical 'solutions' to the difficulties in managing surgical cases of oral carcinoma during the pandemic is locoregional flaps, which in the pre-COVID-19 era were less used than free flaps. However, during the health emergency, its use has been widely reassessed. This setback may represent a precedent for opening up new reflections. In the course of a long-term pandemic, a reassessment of the validity of different medical and surgical therapeutic approaches should be considered. Finally, given that the pandemic has high- WJCC [https://www.wjgnet.com](https://www.wjgnet.com) 1434 March 6, 2023 Volume 11 Issue 7 Lizambri D et al. Surgery in HNC patients amidst COVID-19 lighte

FAQs

What major healthcare disruptions did the COVID-19 pandemic cause for cancer care?

The pandemic led to changes in guidelines, priorities, structures, professional teams, and epidemiological data, contributing to delays in diagnosis, screening deficits, and personnel shortages, as well as psychological impact on cancer patients.

Which surgical area and patient group does the article focus on?

The article focuses on oral carcinoma management and the surgical approaches available to oral and maxillofacial specialists during the COVID-19 emergency, particularly in head and neck cancer patients.

Why were locoregional flaps reconsidered during the pandemic?

Locoregional flaps were used less than free flaps before COVID-19, but during the health emergency their use was widely reassessed as part of addressing the challenges of surgical case management.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Logic