Sebaceous carcinoma of submandibular gland presenting with upper-airway obstruction: a case report and review of the literature

Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) of the salivary gland is a very rare tumor mostly occurring in the parotid gland. It is extremely rare in the submandibular gland. Only four cases of submandibular gland SC have been reported worldwide in the medical literature available in English. We presented the first case of submandibular gland SC in our environment. A 55-years-old male farmer presented to our facility with a 10-year history of progressive, painless left submandibular mass that worsened 4 months prior to presentation associated with dysphagia to solid, muffled voice, weight loss, and upper-airway obstruction. He had emergency tracheostomy and biopsy of the left submandibular mass. The histopathological examination of the mass confirmed SC. He was referred for radiotherapy but reportedly died a few weeks later while still preparing for radiation therapy.