Clinicopathological Analysis of 907 Major and Minor Salivary Gland Tumors

PURPOSE: The frequency and types of salivary gland tumors show significant geographical variations. The most common are primary epithelial tumors, with pleomorphic adenoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma being the most frequent. This study aims to analyze the clinicopathological data of patients with major and minor salivary gland (MiSG) tumors. METHODS: The retrospective study included all patients with major and MiSG tumors diagnosed and treated between January 2000 and January 2019. Files of 907 patients were reviewed and investigated for clinicopathologic features of major and MiSG tumors in Serbia. RESULTS: The majority of tumors were of epithelial origin. Pleomorphic adenoma was the predominant type of tumor, with 35.1% among all tumors on all sites. Adenoid cystic carcinoma and mucoepider-moid carcinoma (with 7.1% and 2.7%, respectively) were the most common malignant ones. The most common localization was the parotid gland. Minor salivary gland tumors comprised 16.43% of all salivary gland tumors in our series, the most common localization being the oral cavity. The results of our study are mostly consistent with the results of other previously published studies. CONCLUSIONS: The most important finding, worth emphasizing, is that the most common malignant major and MiSG tumor in our population is adenoid cystic carcinoma, rather than mucoepidermoid carcinoma, in all investigated localizations. In addition, the nasal cavity is the most common localization among malignant MiSG tumors.