title: Results in the management of malignant submandibular tumours and guidelines for elective neck treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malignant submandibular gland tumours are rare tumours treated primarily with surgery.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This retrospective study was done to determine the effectiveness of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT), to document the patterns of failure, and to define the prognostic variables for treatment outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1960 and 2002, 74 patients diagnosed as having malignant submandibular gland tumours were treated with radical surgery. The surgery included neck dissection in 37 patients and adjuvant RT in 50 patients with high-risk features.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-one (54%) patients experienced disease relapse. The local recurrence rates were 35% in those treated only with surgery and 21% in patients who underwent postoperative RT (p  =  .20). The risk of subclinical nodal metastases in the clinical N0 neck was 21%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The American Joint Committee on Cancer stage approached statistical significance for cause-specific survival. Although not statistically significant, RT probably reduced local recurrence. All patients with malignant submandibular tumours except T1 need elective neck treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA. spohar@netzero.net
authors.forename: Surjeet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pohar
authors.forename: Varagur
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Venkatesan
authors.forename: Larry W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Stitt
authors.forename: Stephen F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Read
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pavamani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D037981:Neck Dissection; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D013365:Submandibular Gland Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult