Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 15, 2025
Retroductal Submandibular Gland Instillation and Localized Fractionated Irradiation in a Rat Model of Salivary Hypofunction
Published on: April 24, 2016
Elective Submandibular Gland Resection in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Tongue
Shadi Javadi1,2, Bijan Khademi1,2, Mohammad Mohamadianpanah3
1Otolaryngology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Introduction:
Submandibular gland resection is a controversial issue in patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). This study aimed to determine the frequency of submandibular gland involvement in patients who had undergone elective submandibular gland resection following oral tongue SCC.
Materials And Methods:
This cross-sectional retrospective study was performed between 2001 and 2017 on patients with oral tongue SCC who had undergone glossectomy in a referral center for otorhinolaryngology surgery, Shiraz, Iran.
Results:
In this study, 131 patients were included. Their mean age was 59.84 years (range: 19-86). The mean tumor size was 2.83 cm (range 0.3-7). The vast majority (92%) of the patients were at stage III-IVa and had well (55%) to moderate (31%) differentiated tumor. The mean diameter of the submandibular gland was 3.87 cm (range: 1.5-6 cm). There was only one (0.76%) patient with submandibular involvement. She was an 80-year-old woman with a T2 well differentiated tumor without cervical lymph node involvement in the neck node dissection.
Conclusion:
In patients with oral tongue SCC, submandibular gland involvement is rare and its elective resection in not recommended.
