SALIVARY GLAND LESIONS WITH ONCOCYTIC CHANGE: A 20-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION

Abstract

Background Oncocytic change, a manifestation of abundant mitochondria within a cell, often occurs in salivary gland lesions. This phenomenon is thought to represent an adaptive or metaplastic change associated with increasing age or exposure to agents that induce senescence. A 20-year retrospective study was carried out on salivary gland lesions diagnosed at University College London Hospitals with a view to evaluating the incidence and prevalence of oncocytic change. Objective To characterize the types of salivary gland lesions diagnosed, showing oncocytic change, based on their nature (neoplastic or nonneoplastic) and patient demographic characteristics. Methods A database search and analysis were performed on salivary gland lesions from 2000 to 2020 at University College London Hospitals. Results One hundred sixty-eight of the 1263 salivary gland lesions showed oncocytic change (13.3%); 145 were neoplastic (86.3%), of which 115 were benign (68.5%) and 30 were malignant (17.9%) lesions. Eleven were nonneoplastic lesions (6.5%) and 12 indeterminate (7.1%) because they were core biopsy samples. Oncocytic change was seen almost exclusively in lesions of the parotid gland (98.8%), and the remaining occurred in the submandibular gland (1.2%). Twenty-two oncocytic neoplasms were identified (1.7%; 15 women, 7 men): 8 oncocytomas (0.63%), 2 oncocytic carcinomas (0.16%), and 12 oncocytic neoplasm, not otherwise specified (0.95%; their subtype could not be ascertained from the core biopsy). Patient age ranged from 27 to 84 years. Conclusions Oncocytic salivary gland tumors are rare and occur almost exclusively in the parotid gland. There is a female predilection and the mean age at diagnosis was in the sixth decade. The conclusions mirror previous findings in the literature. Oncocytic change, a manifestation of abundant mitochondria within a cell, often occurs in salivary gland lesions. This phenomenon is thought to represent an adaptive or metaplastic change associated with increasing age or exposure to agents that induce senescence. A 20-year retrospective study was carried out on salivary gland lesions diagnosed at University College London Hospitals with a view to evaluating the incidence and prevalence of oncocytic change. To characterize the types of salivary gland lesions diagnosed, showing oncocytic change, based on their nature (neoplastic or nonneoplastic) and patient demographic characteristics. A database search and analysis were performed on salivary gland lesions from 2000 to 2020 at University College London Hospitals. One hundred sixty-eight of the 1263 salivary gland lesions showed oncocytic change (13.3%); 145 were neoplastic (86.3%), of which 115 were benign (68.5%) and 30 were malignant (17.9%) lesions. Eleven were nonneoplastic lesions (6.5%) and 12 indeterminate (7.1%) because they were core biopsy samples. Oncocytic change was seen almost exclusively in lesions of the parotid gland (98.8%), and the remaining occurred in the submandibular gland (1.2%). Twenty-two oncocytic neoplasms were identified (1.7%; 15 women, 7 men): 8 oncocytomas (0.63%), 2 oncocytic carcinomas (0.16%), and 12 oncocytic neoplasm, not otherwise specified (0.95%; their subtype could not be ascertained from the core biopsy). Patient age ranged from 27 to 84 years. Oncocytic salivary gland tumors are rare and occur almost exclusively in the parotid gland. There is a female predilection and the mean age at diagnosis was in the sixth decade. The conclusions mirror previous findings in the literature.