Restoring Form & Function After Tumor Removal.

Surviving cancer is the first victory. Rebuilding your life is the next. Board-Certified M.Ch. Plastic Surgeon Dr. Pawan Shahane collaborates with surgical oncologists to perform highly complex face, jaw, and oral reconstructions, allowing you to speak, eat, and smile with confidence again.

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The Oncoplastic Partnership.

Treating head and neck cancer requires a powerful team approach. A Surgical Oncologist's absolute priority is to aggressively remove the cancer to save your life. However, this often requires removing significant portions of the jaw bone, tongue, cheek, or facial skin, leaving devastating defects.

Dr. Pawan Shahane’s role as an Oncoplastic Reconstructive Surgeon begins the moment the tumor is removed. Often operating in the exact same surgical session, Dr. Pawan utilizes advanced micro-vascular techniques to transplant healthy bone and tissue from other parts of your body to rebuild your face. Our goal is to ensure that the cure for your cancer does not cost you your quality of life.

"Our mission is to rebuild the architecture of the face so seamlessly that patients can return to their families, their careers, and their lives without feeling defined by their cancer journey."

Head & Neck Reconstructive Expertise

Advanced tissue transfer tailored to the specific defect.

Jaw (Mandible) Reconstruction

When oral cancer requires removal of the jawbone, we perform a "Fibula Free Flap." We take a non-essential segment of bone from your lower leg, sculpt it to match your jaw's exact curvature, and transplant it to your face, reconnecting its blood supply microscopically.

Tongue & Oral Cavity

Removing tumors from the tongue or cheek severely impacts speech and swallowing. We transplant soft, pliable tissue (often from the forearm or thigh) to rebuild the inside of the mouth, restoring the bulk and mobility needed for proper articulation and eating.

Facial Skin Cancer Closure

After Mohs surgery or excision of Basal/Squamous Cell Carcinomas on the nose, lips, or eyelids, Dr. Pawan designs intricate "local flaps"—sliding nearby matching skin over the defect to camouflage scars within the natural aesthetic borders of the face.

Engineering the Face with 3D Precision

Modern head and neck reconstruction blends microsurgical skill with advanced digital engineering.

Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP)

Before entering the operating room, we use your CT scans to perform the entire jaw reconstruction virtually on a computer. We 3D-print custom cutting guides and titanium plates, ensuring the transplanted bone fits with millimeter perfection.

Free Tissue Transfer (Micro-Flaps)

Rebuilding the face requires living tissue. Dr. Pawan completely detaches bone, muscle, and skin from a donor site (leg or arm), moves it to the face, and uses a microscope to permanently stitch the tiny blood vessels to the vessels in your neck.

Dental Rehabilitation

Because we transplant living, vascularized bone into the jaw, it behaves like normal bone. Once healed, specialized prosthodontists can safely implant titanium dental implants directly into the new bone, giving you back a full set of teeth.

Recovery & Expectations

Is the reconstruction done at the same time as the cancer removal?

In most cases, yes. This is called "Immediate Reconstruction." Dr. Pawan works in tandem with the surgical oncologist so that you wake up with the tumor gone and the reconstruction already complete, avoiding the psychological trauma of living with a severe facial defect.

Will I need radiation therapy, and will it affect the reconstruction?

Many head and neck cancer patients require post-operative radiation. One of the main reasons we use "free flaps" (transplanting healthy, highly vascularized tissue from elsewhere) is because this robust tissue can withstand the harsh effects of radiation much better than standard skin grafts.

How long is the hospital stay for a free flap surgery?

Free flap surgery for the jaw or tongue is a major procedure. Patients typically spend 1 to 2 days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for close flap monitoring, followed by 5 to 10 days in a standard room to work with speech and swallowing therapists before going home.

Will my speech and swallowing return to normal?

Reconstruction provides the architectural framework, but rehabilitation is required. The transplanted tissue will feel different, and you will need to retrain your mouth. Dedicated speech and swallowing therapy is a mandatory and vital part of your post-cancer journey to maximize your functional recovery.

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