CLINICAL EVALUATION OF THE RESULT OF TREATMENT FOR SUBMANDIBULAR AND SUBLINGUAL GLAND CARCINOMA

Abstract

Thirty-three cases with previously untreated submandibular gland cancer and sublingual gland cancer received definite operation in our hospital from November 1979 to February 2000. In this report we evaluated the results of the treatment and clinical features. Histopathological classification was composed of 16 cases with adenoid cystic carcinoma, 7 cases with adenocarcinoma, 6 cases with mucoepidermoid carcinoma and 4 cases with others. Of the cases, 2 cases were T1, 14 cases were T2, 15 cases were T3, 2 cases were T4, 13 cases were stage I, 11 cases were stage II, 1 case was stage III, and 8 cases were stage IV. Primary control rates in 5 years and 10 years were 75.5% and 61.8%. Cause -specific cumulative survival rates in 5 years and 10 years were 52.2% and 47.5%. We believe that it is important to achieve en bloc resection with adequate surgical margin. On the other hand, it is considered that neck lymph node metastasis is one of the critical factors which influence prognosis. Nineteen out of the 33 cases developed recurrence and almost all of them showed poor prognosis because of distant metastasis. Therefore, effective adjuvant treatment for distant metastasis is considered to be the key to improve the survival rate.