Risk of dissemination of cancer to flap donor sites during immediate reconstructive surgery.

We reviewed a series of 617 immediate reconstructions with distant flaps of defects caused by extirpation of malignant tumors to determine the incidence of tumor implantation in the flap donor sites. In this large series, there was only one instance of tumor dissemination to a flap donor site. We conclude that, despite possible theoretical concerns about host immunosuppression caused by surgical stress, the risk of tumor dissemination to flap donor sites as a consequence of immediate reconstruction is negligible.