Tumors of the Submandibular Gland: Our Management Experience at Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital in Lomé

Abstract

The purpose of this survey was to describe the epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of submandibular gland tumors in our practice setting. This was a descriptive retrospective study of submandibular gland tumors treated in the ENT and cervico-maxillofacial surgery department of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital over a period of 15 years. Data were collected from patient records. During the study period, 25 tumor cases were collected and operated, representing 38.46% of the surgical pathology of the submandibular gland. The sex ratio (m / f) was 0.56. The average age was 45.68 years old with extremes of 5 and 86 years old. The 45 to 60 age group was the most represented with 11 cases (44%). Submandibulectomy was performed in all patients with supraomohyoid lymph node dissection in 4 cases based on clinical and ultrasound criteria for malignancy and intraoperative findings. The histology of the operative specimens found 6 malignant tumors (24%) and 19 benign tumors (76%). The pleomorphic adenoma was the most common histological type with 12 cases (48%). The size of the tumor did not have a statistically significant impact on the benign or malignant nature of the tumor (p = 0.55). Similarly, the histological nature was not related to sex (p = 0.19). The immediate postoperative evolution was good in 22 cases and complicated in 3 cases. Two cases of carcinoma classified pT3 were referred for complementary radiotherapy. In conclusion, tumors of the submandibular gland are relatively rare and predominantly affect women in our context. The evolution under treatment is good but could still be improved by a good preoperative exploration including the fine-needle biopsy or even the MRI.