Malignant salivary gland tumours of the head and neck region: a single institutions review

Abstract

IntroductionMalignant salivary gland tumours (MSGTs) comprise about 3% of all head and neck cancers; they demonstrate an unpredictable clinical course. The purpose of this study is to review MSGTs seen at a tertiary Health centre, and compare findings with those of previous studies.MethodsThe records of the Department of Oral Pathology and the Department of Pathology, University College Hospital Ibadan were reviewed over a 19 year period and lesions diagnosed as MSGTs according to 2005 WHO histological classification were analysed for age, gender and site using SPSS for Windows (version 20.0; SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL).ResultsMSGTs were more common in males (55.2%) than females (44.8%). The mean age of was 47.9 (±17.0) years and peak age was the fifth decade. The parotid gland was the commonest site with 62 (28.1%) cases. The palate was the commonest intraoral site with 61(27.6%). The nose with 19 (8.6%) was the commonest minor extra-oral site.ConclusionThe findings were essentially similar to reports from Europe and America. Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma was the most common MSGT in this series. A high proportion of salivary gland tumours in sublingual gland were malignant. The reason(s) for high proportion of MSGTs in sublingual glands requires further investigation.

Current aspects of salivary gland tumors – a systematic review of the literature

“…This heterogeneous group of pathologies encompasses approximately 3–5% of head and neck carcinomas, and only 0.5% of all malignant tumors match these types [1]. The incidence of all salivary gland tumors varies between 0.3 to 4 per 100,000, population, with the highest identified among the Inuit [2], [3].…”

“…as opposed to a holistic view of salivary gland tumors, and therefore, they need to be summarized and visualized to be easily comparable in terms of the epidemiology, therapy, and prognosis. Some different reviews concerning salivary gland tumors have been published in the last two centuries [1], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18] most of which discuss the entities or diagnostic or prognostic aspects and principal therapeutic strategies in detail. However, there is no research article that described an overview of the gender-specific distribution as well as country-specific differences for those tumors.…”

<strong>Intra-Cystic (In Situ) Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma: A Clinico-Pathological Study of 14 Cases</strong>

“…Less than half of the cases arise in minor salivary glands, the palate being the most common intra-oral localization of MEC. [8][9][10][11][12] The architectural configuration of MEC may vary but a cystic component is commonly present and sometimes may predominate. 5,6,[13][14][15] Nevertheless, most MECs also show a solid growth pattern and infiltration of adjacent structures.…”

“…10,11,18,19 At this regard, MECs located in the submandibular gland and those showing high histopathologic grade are considered more aggressive. [8][9][10]20,21 It should be noticed that the greater extension of the intra-cystic component correlates with lower grade of MEC and, therefore, this tumor characteristic "per se" may influence the clinical outcome. [5][6][7][8]18,19,22 Based on these premises, while retrospectively re-evaluating all MEC cases examined in the period 1990-2012, we focused our attention on those cases showing prevalent/exclusive intra-cystic component to further characterize its relevance in the clinic-pathological presentation and clinical outcome of the affected patients.…”

“…Among such patients there were 3 males and 11 females, with a median age of 36.8 years; 9 MECs involved the hard palate, 2 cases the soft palate, 2 the cheek mucosa and 1 case the retromolar trigone. In all instances, the neoplasms appeared as intra-oral nodules ( MEC is the most common malignant tumor of the salivary glands (12-29%) in children and young adults 9,26,29,30 and, according to some authors, the most common malignancy in minor salivary glands: [8][9][10][11][12][13]20 its peak of incidence is between the third and sixth decade but it is one of the most salivary malignancies that may occur in children and adolescent under 20 years of age with predilection for women. 26,29,30 As confirmed by the results of the present study, the palate remains the most commonly involved site by MECs occurring in minor salivary glands, while they less frequently occur in the retromolar area, the floor of the mouth, the buccal mucosa, the lips and the tongue.…”