Abstract
(1) Background: Epidemiological studies of epithelial salivary gland neoplasms are difficult to conduct effectively due to tumor rarity, histological heterogeneity, tumor location diversity, and a lack of national registries collecting data. This study presents 26 years of epidemiological data from a single institution in southern Poland that estimates incidence rates of primary epithelial salivary gland tumors. (2) Methods: The charts of 805 patients with epithelial salivary gland tumors were retrospectively reviewed. (3) Results: Pleomorphic adenomas occurred less frequently in elderly patients; however, Warthin tumors were more common (p < 0.001). Pediatric patients mainly suffered from mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The estimated crude and European age-standardized incidence rates of all primary epithelial salivary gland tumors were 6.7 and 6.02 per 100,000 population, respectively. The incidence rates of salivary gland tumors increased in recent years; however, this is attributed to an increase in benign tumors (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The incidence of primary epithelial salivary gland tumors in southern Poland has increased over the past 26 years. This increase is attributed to a rise in the number of patients with benign tumors, particularly Warthin tumors in elderly patients. Moreover, the incidence of malignant salivary gland tumors appears to be higher in pediatric patients.
Highlights
Salivary gland tumors are rare neoplasms that comprise approximately 3–6% of all head and neck tumors
A total of 940 patients were identified as having received treatment for salivary gland tumors within the study date range. Of these 940 patients, 72 patients were excluded for tumor-like lesions, 30 patients were excluded for secondary tumors, 20 patients were ex
The results indicated a higher incidence of malignant neoplasms among the youngest patients (p = 0.051)
Summary
Salivary gland tumors are rare neoplasms that comprise approximately 3–6% of all head and neck tumors. The incidence rate varies from 0.4 to 13.5 cases per 100,000 population, with most salivary gland tumors being benign [1]. In some cases, salivary gland tumors are observed to originate from the upper aerodigestive tract, such as the lacrimal gland or cervical lymph nodes [2,3]. The current 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) salivary gland tumor classification guidelines distinguish 31 different primary neoplasms [4]. The most common histological types are pleomorphic adenoma (PA), Warthin’s tumor (WT), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), and adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) [5,6,7]. Large histological heterogeneity with a wide range of tumor locations may cause diagnostic and therapeutic problems in some cases
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