Neoplasms of the salivary glands in a Turkish adult population

Abstract

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to investigate the types and distribution of neoplasm of salivary glands in a Turkish population. Study Design: The histological diagnosis records of the Department of Pathology at Cumhuriyet University were reevaluated for 125 patients who were treated for salivary gland tumors from 1987 to 2008. The neoplasms were analyzed for histological diagnosis, age, sex, and site. The histological diagnoses were analyzed according to the 2005 WHO classification. Results: A total of 125 primary salivary gland neoplasms, consisting of 95 (76%) benign and 30 (24%) malignant groups were recorded. The most common major and minor salivary gland sites were the parotid (61.6%) and palatal glands (9.6%), respectively. Pleomorphic adenoma was the most frequent benign tumor followed by Warthin's tumor. Among the malignant group, adenoid cystic carcinoma was the most prevalent. Age for all cases ranged from 16-80 years; mean age was 41.97 years, with a female to male ratio of 1:1.15. Conclusions: Although there were some discrepancies, the characteristics of salivary gland tumors of Turkish patients are in line with those of patients from other countries according to tumor type, tumor site distribution, and age and sex of patients.

Epithelial Salivary Gland Tumors in Two Distant Geographical Locations, Finland (Helsinki and Oulu) and Israel (Tel Aviv): A 10-Year Retrospective Comparative Study of 2,218 Cases

“…The most predominant benign SGT is PA followed by Warthin tumor, usually a distant second [9,21,22,24]. This is in line with the present study.…”

“…The present results on malignant SGTs in minor salivary glands in TAU is in accordance with the data reported in other 2005 WHO-based studies, in which the frequency of malignant SGTs in the minor glands ranged from about 55% (Sri Lanka and southern Iran) [9,21] to 62% (China) [24]. In the remaining two relevant studies (from the UK and Turkey), the frequency of these tumors was about 40% [22,23], but that figure is still higher than the values from the Finnish centers. The differences in the incidence of malignant SGTs between Israel and Finland and other geographical regions appear to strengthen the influence of geographical factors and their impact on the distribution of these tumors.…”

“…The 2:1 ratio of benign-to-malignant SGTs in TAU was within the range reported in studies from other regions of the world based on the 2005 WHO classification, including Sri Lanka, 1:1 [9], the UK and China, 2:1 each, [23, 24, respectively], Iran (South), 2.19:1 [21], and Turkey, 3:1 [22]. The results from the Finnish centers were remarkably different, with a benign-to-malignant ratio of 5.4:1 in Helsinki and 7.1:1 in Oulu.…”

“…Earlier single-center studies that were also based on the 2005 WHO classification have reported these two tumors as being the most common malignant SGTs, but the order differed: one study found an equal frequency of these tumors [24], two studies found ACC to be more common [21,22], and the other two studies, including one from the UK, found mucoepidermoid carcinoma to be more common [9,23]. Before 2005, the frequency of mucoepidermoid carcinoma among British patients was much lower than the worldwide range [1], with a predominance of ACC [10,28].…”

“…This was the first study that compared the data on SGTs from two remote geographic locations by examiners who collated data strictly according to the 2005 WHO classification [1]. Other studies similarly reporting epidemiologic data on SGTs provided data accumulated within individual centers and described their results in comparison with studies carried out according to earlier WHO classification systems [9,[21][22][23][24]. The main findings of this research were the differences in the annual incidence of the SGTs (highest in Helsinki, lower in Oulu, and lowest in TAU), in the frequency of the malignant forms of SGT (two-to three-fold higher in TAU than in the Finnish centers), and in the frequency of malignant SGTs in the minor glands versus the parotid gland (higher in TAU compared to the Finnish centers).…”