To date the British Salivary Gland Tumour Panel has accumulated 2569 salivary gland tumours. Of these, 2410 were primary epithelial salivary gland tumours and these formed the basis of the present study. The diagnosis of individual tumours was based on the World Health Organisation classification. Tumours were analysed according to histological type, site, age and sex. The principal site was the parotid and the combined minor (oropharyngeal) glands formed the second largest group. Pleomorphic adenomas formed the largest group of tumours in most sites, but were particularly common in the parotid. The frequency of malignant tumours increased with age after the third decade and was maximal in the eighth decade. Malignant tumours were more common in the submandibular and the minor glands than in the parotid. In the sublingual gland six out of seven tumours were malignant.

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There arc 2410 primary epithelial salivary gland tumours in the files of the British Salivary Gland Tumour Panel. Of these tumours, 336 (14%) involved the minor (oropharyngeal) salivary glands, and these were studied m the present investigation Individual tumours were diagnosed according to the W H O Classification The percentage of malignant or potentially malignant tumours (46%) was much higher than in major glands (18%), and in some of the less common intraoral sites all the tumours were malignant. The principal sites were the palate (54%), lips (21%) and buccal mucosa (11%), and, in these sites, pleomorphic adenoma was the most common tumour Monomorphic adenomas accounted for 6% of palatal tumours, hut 30% of lip salivary gland tumours. The most common malignant tumour was the adenoid cystic carcinoma The results arc compared with several other large surveys and with tumours of major salivary glands.

There has been considerable controversy as to whether oral lichen planus (LP) has a premalignant potential. This study retrospectively examined the records of 241 British patients with histologically confirmed LP seen during the 10-year period 1982-92. Nine patients (3.7%) were known to have developed well-differentiated invasive carcinoma or carcinoma in situ in an area of LP. Most carcinomas at presentation were in areas of atrophic and/or erosive LP, 6 were in patients older than 65 years, and 6 were on the tongue. The results support a small but clinically important premalignant potential for LP.