Distribution and Frequency of Parotid Gland Tumors in the Anhui Province: A Retrospective Multicenter Study of 758 Cases

Abstract

Background: Parotid gland tumors are rare with complex histopathology and no early clinical symptoms. There are no reports of epidemiological and pathological features of parotid gland tumors in the Anhui province of China. We aimed to retrospectively analyze the distribution and histopathological characteristics of parotid gland tumors in the Anhui province. Methods: We analyzed clinical data of 758 patients with parotid gland tumors who were admitted to three hospital centers between January 2018 and January 2022. Results: The most frequent neoplasms were pleomorphic adenoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. There were 641 patients with benign tumors and 117 with malignant tumors. The most common benign tumors were pleomorphic adenoma, and the most frequent malignant tumor was mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Warthin tumor was the second most common benign tumor. In Hefei, squamous cell carcinoma was the second most common malignant tumor, which is inconsistent with other literature. Conclusions: The distribution and frequency of most parotid gland neoplasms in the Anhui province were similar to those described worldwide. The historically significant male predilection of the Warthin tumor was confirmed. Future multicenter studies can serve as an epidemiological baseline to better characterize these tumors.