MRI Evaluation of Salivary Gland Involvement by Buccal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction: The salivary gland involvement by oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and diagnostic delays may influence the recurrence and survival of OSCC cases. Aims and Objective: To estimate salivary gland involvement in buccal OSCC cases. Materials and Methods: For 91 histopathologically proven cases of buccal OSCC, the primary tumor and salivary gland were evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences as T1-T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted, short tau inversion recovery, and contrast-enhanced images. Results: Out of 91 buccal OSCC patients, 10 (10.98%) cases showed salivary gland involvement, primarily the ipsilateral submandibular gland involvement with heterogeneous enhancement and few areas of necrosis. Conclusion: The considerable proportion of buccal OSCC cases with salivary gland involvement as evaluated in MRI was demonstrated in the present study. The study findings underscore the need for careful pre-treatment evaluations toward salivary gland involvement, especially in occult cases.

Keywords

• buccal mucosa
• magnetic resonance imaging
• oral cancer
• salivary glands