Abstract
From 1987 to 1996, we encountered 44 cases of submandibular and sublingual gland tumors at Beijing Stomatological Hospital (affiliate of Capital University of Medical Sciences) . Of 44 cases, the tumor was localized in the submandibular gland in 39 cases, and in the sublingual gland in five cases. Twenty-nine of the 44 cases were benign (27 submandibular glands, and two sublingual glands), and 15 were malignant (12 submandibular and three sublingual glands) .
Histology of the benign tumors demonstrated 26 pleomorphic adenomas and one hemangioma of the submandibular gland, and two papillary cyst adenomas of the sublingual gland. Malignant tumors of the submandibular gland included three mucoepidermoid carcinomas, two adenocarcinomas, two acinic cell carcinomas, and one case each of adenoid cystic carcinoma, myoepithelial carcinoma, carcinoma in pleomorphic adenoma, salivary duct carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Malignant tumors of the sublingual gland included one case each of acinic cell carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, and myoepithelial carcinoma.
Benign submandibular gland tumors were resected with the submandibular gland in all cases, except for one secondary case in which the submandibular gland had been resected by a previous surgeon. One of the benign sublingual gland tumors was resected together with both the sublingual and submandibular glands, while the other tumor was resected with the submandibular gland, because the origin of the tumor in this case was estimated to be from the submandibular gland prior to surgery.
Relatively extensive resections with or without neck dissection, and including or not including mandiblectomy, were performed to treat malignant tumors. However, the rate of recurrence of primary lesions was a little high in the submandibular glands.
