Myiasis in a submandibular metastatic squamous cell carcinoma: a case report

ABSTRACT

We report a case of myiasis on the left submandibular area after radiation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma. A 77-year-old man visited our hospital, 7 weeks after complicating a course of radiation therapy, had a 7cm diameter necrotic ulcer on the left submandible. The margin of the lesion were undermined by numerous interlinking passages containing 20 maggots. The maggots were removed by simple extraction and were identified as Calliphoridae Lucilia. The probable origin of the myiasis in this case was attributed to poor environmental condition and general weakness of the patient. Oppotunistic cutaneous myiasis can be prevented by protecting open wounds from flies, wound should not be left without a covering capable of excluding flies, especially in the summer month.