Sternocleidomastoid flap for reconstruction of tongue small cell carcinoma: A case report

BACKGROUND The management of tongue carcinoma is excision and radical neck dissection followed with reconstruction. This is a case report of a patient with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) who underwent the procedure with sternocleidomastoid (SCM) flap reconstruction. CASE SUMMARY A 52-year-old woman without smoking history complained tongue ulcer since 3 years ago. Based on the histopathological examination, the patient was diagnosed with T2N2M0 right tongue SCC and underwent wide excision of tumor; right mandibular; neck dissection and were reconstructed with SCM flap. CONCLUSION SCC of the tongue requires wide excision and dissection of the neck and mandible if infiltration into the surrounding lymph nodes has been found. The SCM flap reconstruction could be used post-surgery.