Malignant oncocytomas are extremely rare tumours of the salivary gland
s. Fewer than 50 cases have been reported in the world literature so f
ar, 34 of which were located in the parotid gland. Only three of these
tumours have been located in the submandibular gland. We report one f
urther case of a malignant oncocytoma of the submandibular gland in a
47-year-old man. Since a definite histological diagnosis of malignant
oncocytoma can rarely be made both clinical and histopathological find
ings are essential in establishing the diagnosis. Treatment consists o
f wide surgical excision, neck dissection and post-operative radiother
apy. The prognosis with regard to five-year survival is poor because o
f metastatic disease.