Pleomorphic adenoma of minor salivary glands: Review of the literature

Abstract

Background: According to the WHO, pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is a benign tumor with variable cytomorphological and architectural manifestations. Objective: Our objective is to review the literature of all reported cases of PA of minor salivary glands from 2003 to 2023. Age, sex, location, clinical, radiographic and histological characteristics, prognosis and treatment options will be reviewed. Materials and methods: A literature search was carried out in PUBMED with the keywords: pleomorphic adenoma and minor salivary glands. Results: Twenty-four case reports in English were included after applying the inclusion criteria. The average age of appearance of the PA was 33.7 years. The male-female ratio was 19:11. The most frequent location was the hard palate (29%). 16.66% of cases presented pain. 27 of the 30 cases (90%) were encapsulated and 28 cases were treated by surgical resection (93.33%). Conclusion: PA constitutes up to two thirds of all salivary gland neoplasms. It presents a predilection for the female sex, it most commonly appears in the parotid gland and in the palate, the treatment of choice is surgical excision and its prognosis is good.