Major Salivary Glands Carcinoma in Saudi Arabia: A 10-Year Nationwide Retrospective Study of 571 Cases

Abstract

Purpose: Major salivary glands carcinoma (MSGC) comprises a morphologically diverse group of rare tumours with different clinical behaviours, and studies on epidemiology in the literature vary greatly depending on the geographic location. The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the incidence rates, anatomical sites, and histological subtypes of different salivary gland malignancies in the population of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with primary major salivary glands carcinoma (MSGC) in Saudi Arabia from 2008 to 2017, based on the demographic characteristics and histological data retrieved from the Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR) database. Malignant lesions were identified using the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Third Edition (ICD-O-3) Codes. Results: Salivary gland malignancies were diagnosed in 571 patients over 10 years (50.10% were males and 49.90% females). The parotid gland was the site of origin in 69.9% of cases. The most common histological type was mucoepidermoid carcinoma (29.1%). Over a decade, the incidence rate ranged from (0.15 to 0.24), with the highest overall in 2009. The peak incidence of salivary gland malignancies was observed in the fourth, fifth and sixth decade of life (17.5%, 18.2%, and 16.8%, respectively). Conclusion: Major salivary gland carcinomas (MSGC) are extremely rare in the Saudi population, with a low incidence rate of only 0.15 to 0.24 cases per 100,000 person-year compared to other parts of the world. However, the clinical findings of Salivary gland carcinoma were similar to those described worldwide.