Preoperative evaluation and surgical planning of submandibular gland tumors.

Background: Roughly half of submandibular gland neoplasms are malignant. Because preoperative information on the nature of these tumors remains limited, both preoperative evaluation and assessment of the extent of primary surgery warrant guidelines that are more accurate.

Methods: We evaluated the preoperative examinations and management of all submandibular gland neoplasms treated surgically at the Helsinki University Hospital between 2000 and 2010.