A clinicostatistical study of 73 patients with intraoral minor salivary gland tumors

Abstract

We performed a clinico-statistical investigation of 73 patients who were diagnosed with minor intraoral salivary gland tumors at our department.
The incidence of benign and malignant tumors was approximately equal. There were no statistically significant differences in the age or gender of the patients with benign or malignant tumors. Histologically, pleomorphic adenoma was the most common type of benign tumor, while mucoepidermoid carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma were the major types of malignant tumor. The palate was the most common site. The retromolar region showed the highest incidence of malignant tumors.
The diagnostic concordance rate was 87.1% in patients with malignant tumors. Almost all of the cases with diagnostic inconsistency involved the misdiagnosis of mucoepidermoid carcinoma as squamous cell carcinoma. These results suggested that clinicians must consider the possibility of intraoral minor salivary gland carcinoma in the diagnosis of intraoral tumors.
All of the stage I, II and III tumors were surgically treated. In contrast, 75.0% of the stage IV tumor patients received combined pre-/postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The cumulative survival rates for all malignant tumor patients were 83.1% at 5 and 10 years. Stage IV malignant tumors were associated with a significantly poorer prognosis in comparison to the other groups. The patients with an advanced tumor stage or locoregional relapse and distant metastasis showed a worse prognosis. New therapeutic options, including particle beam therapy and molecular target drugs, should be investigated for to improve the treatment outcome of patients with malignant salivary gland tumors.