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CION Cancer Clinics
Partial, total and extended maxillectomy | CION Cancer Clinics
The type of maxillectomy tells you how much of the upper jaw bone is removed. A partial operation takes only part of it, often the gum and palate. A total operation takes all of the bone on one side, including the floor under the eye. An extended operation also removes nearby structures the cancer has reached. This page explains each type, how your team chooses, and what to ask. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What is the difference between partial, total and extended maxillectomy?
- Which parts of the upper jaw does each type remove?
- How do partial and total maxillectomy compare?
- How does the team decide which type you need?
- What do people often misunderstand about the types?
- What do the words in the surgical plan mean?
- What can this page not tell you about your operation?
- Common questions about types of maxillectomy
The short answer
What is the difference between partial, total and extended maxillectomy?
The names describe how much of the upper jaw bone is removed. A partial maxillectomy takes only part of it, a total maxillectomy takes all of the bone on one side, and an extended maxillectomy also takes nearby structures such as the eye socket, cheek skin or skull base.
Why the amount varies so much
The surgeon removes the cancer with a rim of healthy tissue around it. A small cancer on the gum needs far less bone taken than a cancer that fills the sinus and presses on the eye. The type is chosen to fit the cancer, not the other way round. Scans before surgery give a good estimate, but the final amount is confirmed only when the surgeon can see and feel the tissue, and when the pathologist later checks the edges of what was removed.
Why the name matters to you
The type tells you, in broad terms, what recovery will involve. A low partial operation mainly affects the teeth and the roof of the mouth. A total operation also affects the cheek and the support under the eye. An extended operation can change the face, the eye and how the plate or flap is planned.
Different surgeons and reports use slightly different names for the same operation. Ask for yours to be explained in plain words.The main types
Which parts of the upper jaw does each type remove?
These are the names you are most likely to hear, from the smallest operation to the largest.
Low partial (infrastructure)
Removes the tooth-bearing gum and part of the roof of the mouth, below the sinus. Often done through the mouth, with no cut on the face.
Medial maxillectomy
Removes the inner wall of the sinus, the side wall of the nose. Used for some cancers inside the nose. The palate and teeth are usually kept.
Subtotal maxillectomy
Removes most of the bone but leaves the floor of the eye socket in place. The eye keeps its natural support.
Total maxillectomy
Removes the whole upper jaw bone on one side, including the floor of the eye socket. That floor is usually rebuilt so the eye does not drop.
Extended maxillectomy
A total maxillectomy plus nearby structures the cancer has reached.
May include
- The eye and the contents of its socket
- Skin of the cheek
- Bone at the base of the skull
Not sure whether this applies to you?
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How do partial and total maxillectomy compare?
Partial maxillectomy
Total maxillectomy
Usually for smaller cancers of the gum or palate
For cancers filling the sinus or reaching its walls
Often no cut on the face
More often needs a cut beside the nose and lip
The eye socket floor is left alone
The eye socket floor is removed and rebuilt
A plate often closes the hole well
A flap is more often considered
Shorter operation and stay, in general
Longer operation and a longer recovery
Before the day
How does the team decide which type you need?
A biopsy
A small piece of the growth is taken and looked at under a microscope. This confirms it is a cancer and tells the team what kind, which affects how wide the margin needs to be.
CT and MRI scans
A CT shows the bone in detail. An MRI shows soft tissue, including whether the cancer has pushed into the eye socket, the nerves or the skull base. Many people need both.
Examination and dental check
The surgeon looks inside the nose and mouth, often with a thin camera. A dentist checks which teeth can stay and whether any need removing before radiotherapy.
Tumour board discussion
Surgeons, radiation and medical oncologists and radiologists review everything together. The type of operation, and whether surgery is the right first step at all, is agreed there.
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Commonly believed
What do people often misunderstand about the types?
"A smaller operation is always the safer choice."
An operation too small to remove the whole cancer leaves cells behind. That often means more surgery or heavier treatment later. The right size is the one that takes the cancer out with clear margins.
"Total maxillectomy means the eye is removed."
Not on its own. A total maxillectomy removes the floor of the eye socket, but the eye itself is usually kept and supported. The eye is removed only when the cancer has grown into the socket.
"The type is fixed once it is written on the consent form."
Sometimes the surgeon finds the cancer is larger or smaller than the scans suggested. Ask before the day what might change during the operation, and how that decision will be made.
"A bigger operation means the cancer is hopeless."
The size of the operation reflects where the cancer sits, not a verdict on the future. Your outlook depends on many things this page cannot measure, and your team is the right place to ask.
On your report
What do the words in the surgical plan mean?
- Orbital floor
- The thin plate of bone under the eye, which is also the roof of the maxillary sinus.
- Palate
- The roof of the mouth. The front, bony part is the hard palate.
- Alveolus
- The ridge of bone that holds the teeth.
- Pterygoid plates
- Small bony plates behind the upper jaw, sometimes removed when the cancer reaches the back of the sinus.
- Brown classification
- A grading some surgeons use to describe how much was removed, both upwards towards the eye and across the palate.
Being straight with you
What can this page not tell you about your operation?
This page cannot tell you which type you need. Only your surgeon, with your scans and biopsy in front of them, can say that. It also cannot tell you whether surgery is the right first treatment for you.
Who surgery may not suit
For some cancers of the nose and sinus, radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy is offered first or instead. An extended operation may not be offered when the cancer has spread widely or when a long anaesthetic is not safe for your heart or lungs.
Questions to ask your surgeon
Ask which type is planned and why. Ask whether the eye socket floor, the eye or the cheek skin will be removed. Ask how the space will be closed, whether a plate or a flap, and whether that could change during the operation. Ask to see the scan and have the edges of the cancer pointed out to you.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about types of maxillectomy
Which type of maxillectomy is the most common?
Partial operations on the palate and gum are common, because many upper jaw cancers start in the mouth and are found while still small. Cancers of the sinus are often found later, so they more often need a total or extended operation. Your own type depends only on your scans.
Can a partial maxillectomy become total during surgery?
It can. Tissue from the edges is sometimes checked under the microscope during the operation. If cancer is found, the surgeon may remove more. Ask beforehand what the surgeon will do in that case, so you and your family are not taken by surprise.
Does a bigger operation mean a longer hospital stay?
Usually, yes. A total or extended operation often involves a flap, a breathing tube in the neck for a few days and closer nursing. A small partial operation closed with a plate generally means a shorter stay. Your team will give you an idea for your own plan.
Will my voice change after a total maxillectomy?
Without a seal over the palate, air escapes into the nose and speech sounds nasal and unclear. A well-fitted plate or a flap usually brings speech back close to how it was. A speech therapist helps you practise.
What is a medial maxillectomy used for?
It is used for some growths on the side wall of the nose or the inner wall of the sinus. Because the palate is usually kept, eating and speech are less affected. Some of these operations are done through the nose with a camera. Ask your centre whether that applies to you.
Is an extended maxillectomy done in one operation?
Usually the removal and the first stage of rebuilding happen in one long operation, often with a head and neck surgeon and a reconstructive surgeon working together. When the skull base is involved, a neurosurgeon may join. Later adjustments to the plate or eye socket are separate, smaller visits.
Can I get a second opinion on the type planned?
Yes, and a good team will not mind. Take your biopsy report, the actual scan images on a disc or link, and any operation notes. A second opinion is most useful before the date is fixed, so ask for one early rather than close to surgery.
Does the type change what the operation costs?
It does. A larger operation, a free flap, a longer stay and a custom plate all add to the cost. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS are accepted, and most cashless insurers are empanelled. Call the helpline with your card details for an estimate against your cover.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
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MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
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Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
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Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for nasal and sinus cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Paranasal Sinus and Nasal Cavity Cancer Treatment (PDQ) - Patient Version
- American Cancer Society — Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer Treatment (PDQ) - Patient Version
- NICE — Cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract: assessment and management in people aged 16 and over (NG36)
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Maxillectomy: What the Operation InvolvesThe operation and hospital stay, step by stepWhen the Eye Has to Be Removed With the MaxillaWhat an extended operation means for the eyeFlap Reconstruction vs ObturatorHow the space is closed after each typeDeciding on Cancer SurgeryWhat to weigh before agreeing to an operation
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