AT the end of last month, stomatologists with Shenzhen People’s Hospital successfully found an ingenious way to repair a patient’s cancerous tongue by taking a skin flap from his upper arm, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported Friday.

The surgery was purportedly said to be the first of its kind ever conducted in Shenzhen and had not been documented before in Guangdong Province.

The patient surnamed Chen is 52 years old. Half a year ago, Chen’s tongue was unintentionally wounded on the right side by a fishbone. Although the wound stopped bleeding, it later swelled up and caused pain.

In mid-October, the swelling and pain grew and Chen decided to seek treatment at Shenzhen People’s Hospital in Luohu District. It was found that the ulceration on his tongue was the size of a fingertip and Chen actually had tongue cancer. The doctor suggested he be admitted to the hospital for surgical treatment.

Unlike other more commonly used repair methods, the doctor made the bold decision to conduct a skin graft using a skin flap from the outer side of Chen’s upper arm. A donor-site area on the forearm would be discreet, unexposed, and the scar easily covered by short sleeves.

Zhang Guoquan, deputy director of the oral and maxillofacial surgery department at the hospital, said Chen’s tongue cancer was not directly related to the fishbone. Chen may have had the tongue cancer before his tongue was injured. The fact that the wound didn’t heal caused his tongue cancer to exacerbate.

At present, Chen’s tongue has been restored to its original state and he is able to speak clearly and eat normally. (Zhang Yu)