Prevention of radiation induced xerostomia by surgical transfer of submandibular salivary gland into the submental space

Background and purpose: Xerostomia is a significant morbidity of radiation treatment in the management of head and neck cancers. We hypothesized that the surgical transfer of one submandibular salivary gland to the submental space, where it can be shielded from radiation treatment (XRT), would prevent xerostomia. Materials and methods: We conducted a prospective Phase II clinical trial and the patients were followed clinically with salivary flow studies and the University of Washington Quality of Life questionnaire. Results: We report the results on 76 evaluable patients. The salivary gland transfer was done in 60 patients. Nine patients (of 60) did not have postoperative XRT and in eight patients (of 60) the transferred gland was not shielded from XRT due to proximity of disease. The median follow up is 14 months. Of the 43 patients with the salivary gland transfer and post-operative XRT with protection of the transferred gland, 81% have none or minimal xerostomia, and 19% developed moderate to severe xerostomia. Three patients (6.9%) developed local recurrence, five patients (11.6%) developed distant metastases and five patients (11.6%) have died. There were no complications attributed to the surgical procedure. Conclusion: Surgical transfer of a submandibular salivary gland to the submental space preserves its function and prevents the development of radiation induced xerostomia