Abstract

Surgical management of head and neck sarcomas presents significant challenges, particularly in advanced stages where curative options are limited. In such cases, palliative care becomes essential to alleviate symptoms and enhance the patient’s quality of life. When chemoradiation therapy fails to provide adequate symptom control, palliative surgery may be a viable option. We report the case of a 24-year-old male diagnosed with an extensive and aggressive maxillary chondroblastic osteosarcoma. Despite multiple chemoradiation regimens, the disease progressed rapidly. Due to the substantial deterioration in the patient’s quality of life, he underwent major palliative surgery. The procedure involved a left total maxillectomy, right subtotal maxillectomy, left segmental mandibulectomy, orbital exenteration, and resection of the left upper lip, cheek, and nose. Reconstruction was performed using an osteocutaneous fibula free flap and an anterolateral thigh flap. Postoperatively, the patient experienced significant symptom relief without major complications. He was followed for 12 months before being lost to follow-up, remaining disease-free for approximately 8 to 10 months. This case illustrates that in select patients with unresectable and extensively invasive tumors, major palliative resections combined with microvascular reconstruction may offer meaningful improvements in quality of life.

Keywords: free tissue transfer; microvascular reconstructive surgery; palliative surgery; sarcoma.