The patient was a 70-year-old retired Caucasian man who was originally treated for swelling of the base of the upper lip with a small palpable lesion and upper incisor toothache at Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 2010. The patient’s past medical history was significant for hypertension, and cardiac arrhythmia (asymptomatic detection of idiopathic nonsinus ventricular tachycardia), and he was undergoing treatment with a beta-blocker. He did not report other diseases and was a nonsmoker. At that time, Amoksiklav 625 mg (LEK PHARMACEUTICAL D.D., Ljubljana, Slovenia) were prescribed due to the suspicion of infection. However, his condition did not improve at all. Diagnostic excision was performed, and histopathology showed a benign syringoma. There was no further adjuvant therapy, and the patient underwent standard follow-up observation by his general practitioner.
After 7 years, the patient was referred to our hospital again, presenting with upper lip swelling and a palpable upper lip lesion measuring 2x3 cm2 with infiltration of the fornix vestibuli and columellar base. The lesion was grayish in color with telangiectasias, and it was painless and hard in consistency. No lymphadenopathy of the cervical lymph nodes was observed. There was no family history of any cancer.
An assessment was performed by orthopantomography (OPG), followed by a diagnostic biopsy. Histology revealed significantly enlarged submucosal stroma that was captured and infiltrated by small, predominantly solid cell pins with a hint of luminal formation or tadpole configurations in some places. The cells were medium in size and cytologically uniform, with vesicular nuclei, small nucleoli, and hyperchromic foci. Mitosis was not detected. The tumor extended between the fibers of the skeletal muscle, and perineural propagation was also evident. No necrosis was present. Immunohistochemically, the cells were positive for cytokeratin AE 1/3, CK5/6, and p63, as well as CK7 very rarely and p53 weakly and focally. The cells were negative for CK20, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ber-EP4), B-cell lymphoma 2 protein (Bcl2), smooth muscle actin (SMA), S-100, EMA, CEA, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR). The Ki67 proliferation index was up to 5%. Histologically, the findings indicated an adnexal tumor, most likely SEC, with a probability of over 50%.
The chest X-ray results were also normal. Computed tomography (CT) showed a small hypodense soft tissue mass in the upper lip. In addition, there was no evidence of b one invasion or destruction.
Staging positron-emission tomography (PET)/CT showed no distant metastases.
Radical resection was planned with immediate reconstruction of the upper lip from the lower lip using an Abbé flap. The nasal base and septum were also included in the resection. Assessment of the intraoperative frozen sections of the mass revealed negative margins. According to the definitive histology of the resected tissue, however, the tumor reached the edges of the excision area in the left nasal entrance, and close margins were found bilaterally on the lip. A second, more radical resection of the nasal base was performed under general anesthesia, including half of the columella and both lip margins. The frozen section again showed negative margins; but similar to the previous procedure, according to the definitive histology, a close, positive resection margin of 1 mm was found at the right nasal ala. In a third operation under local anesthesia, the pedicle of the Abbé flap was disconnected, and the right nasal ala was re-excised. Bilateral commissuroplasty was also performed for contracture of the oral opening, also described as microstomia. The Fairbanks and Dingman technique was used for the vermilion [23], and the muscle was split into two layers by crossing the surface layer, according to the technique described by Villorio [24]. As histology again revealed a close, positive margin on the right nasal ala, re-excision was performed up to half the height of the nostril. Finally, histology of the newly excised tissue showed no tumor cells, and only reparative changes were observed.
After 4 months without recurrence, the nose base was reconstructed with two nasolabial flaps reinforced by the implantation of a double cartilaginous graft from the rest of the nasal septum. The defect of the right nasal ala was adjusted with a composite graft containing both skin and subcutaneous tissue with cartilage from the helix of the left ear. Unfortunately, during the postoperative period, necrosis developed in the caudal half of the composite graft, and over the next 10 months, the necrosis affected half of the right nasal ala, the patency of the right nostril became limited, the colloid and tip of the nose collapsed, and mild microstomia persisted. Therefore, a team of plastic and maxillofacial surgeons decided, that a new, complex, three-stage nasal reconstruction procedure would be performed, including adequate reconstruction of the intranasal lining and improvement of the nasal support system to withstand severe scarring.
Seventeen months after the first operation and 14 months after complete resection of the tumor without recurrence, the nasal reconstruction procedure was performed in parallel with another commissuroplasty. After the skin of the nose was elevated, the nasal skeleton was exposed and returned to its original dimensions. Simultaneously, cartilage was taken from the right sixth rib and the cavum conchae to reconstruct the nasal septum and nasal alae, respectively. For reconstruction of the missing intranasal lining of the lower half of the nostrils, the turbinate flap was selected. Each turbinate flap was obtained by functional endonasal surgery (FES) and sewn into the defect of the intranasal lining. Then, the skeleton of the nose was completed, a central pillar from the costal cartilage was constructed to support the newly created nasal ala), and the nasal alae were reinforced with the use of the (harvested) conchal cartilage. The missing skin cover of the right nasal ala and the front of the columella was replaced using a left paramedian forehead flap. Recovery lasted 6 weeks (Fig. 3D). In phase II of the nose reconstruction, the new skin cover was thinned, and in phase III, a month later, final disconnection of the pedicle was performed. Over the next 8 months, both nasal entrances were widened with Z-plasty in the area of the soft triangle, Z-plasty was performed to advance the right nostril, and VY-plasty was performed to advance the left nostril. The individual treatment steps are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1
Chronological overview of individual surgical steps (m – month, LA – local anesthesia, GA – general anesthesia)
Operation number | Time scale | Operational Performance | Complication |
1 | 0 | Resection of the tumor of the upper lip and nasal base with immediate reconstruction of the upper lip according to Abbé under GA | In the left nasal entrance, the tumor extended into the excision area; bilateral tight margins at the lip |
2 | 1 m | Resection of the nasal base and both margins of the upper lip under GA | Close resection margin, 1 mm at the right nasal wing |
3 | 2 m | Detachment of the pedicle of the Abbé flap from the lower lip, re-excision of the tumor in the area of the right ala, bilateral commissuroplasty under LA | Residual structures of syringoma up to 1 mm at the right nasal ala |
4 | 3 m | Re-excision of tumor margins on the right ala to half the height of the wing under LA | No residual tumor structures on histology |
5 | 7 m | Primary reconstruction of the nose with two nasolabial flaps, reinforcement of the columella with a septal graft and reconstruction of the right nasal ala with a composite auricular graft under GA | Loss of the composite graft of the right ala, limited patency of the right nostril, collapse of the columella and the tip of the nose, microstoma |
6 | 17 m | Commissuroplasty, elevation of both turbinate flaps from the inferior conchae, cartilage graft harvesting from both auricles and from 6th right rib, reconstruction of the nasal framework and covering with the left paramedian forehead flap under GA | Prolonged healing, repeated capillary bleeding from the right nostril |
7 | 18 m | Re-elevation and thinning of the forehead flap under LA | |
8 | 20 m | Removal of the supply pedicle from the forehead under LA | |
9 | 27 m | Enlargement of both nostrils by Z-plasty in a soft triangle, Z-plasty of the right alar attachment and V-Y advancement of the left nasal ala under LA | |
During a follow-up and clinical examination, ultrasound of the cervical nodes with subsequent PET/CT did not show any regional or distant metastases. The patient is has remained recurrence-free now for 56 months after the tumor resection. The patient was satisfied with the aesthetic result of the reconstruction.