A Case of Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Sialolithiasis of the Submandibular Gland

We experienced a case of squamous cell carcinoma with sialolithiasis by metaplasia in the duct of a submandibular gland. A 58-year-old man was referred to our hospital to treat a mass in the oral cavity. There was a sialolithiasis in the proximal part of Wharton's duct. So, we removed the left submandibular gland. Metaplastic change was found in Wharton's duct with calculi, and, in the central part of the metaplasia, well differented squamous cell carcinoma was located. Neck lymph nodes were not swollen, so no further treatment was taken. There was no sign of reccurence. We studied the metaplasia rate in Wharton's duct in sialolithiasis patients who had been treated by submandibular gland removal in our hospital. About 90% of patients' metaplasia were found in areas with calculi. We thought that metaplasia in the duct was highly correlated with calculi, and that squamous cell carcinoma might occur on the basis of metaplasia.