Session Item

Flab reconstructions are frequently used after surgical resection in head and neck cancer. Many of these patients undergo postoperative radiotherapy or chemoradiation. Radiation oncologists need to decide whether the flab needs to be included in part or in total into the CTV. In the absence of reliable data, in theory, one would expect that the flap-tissue junction is at highest risk of local recurrence compared to other areas of the flab, especially in case of a positive or close resection margins. Accordingly, a strong agreement among GORTEC and international experts was reported that the flap-tissue junction should be included into the high risk CTV. However, no agreement was reached, which margin from the flap-tissue junction should be used for the CTV. Furthermore, no consensus was reported regarding several other items of delineation and imaging in this situation that will be discussed. This reflects a remarkable knowledge gap and the need for further research.