Intraoral minor salivary gland tumors: a clinicopathological study of 82 cases

We present a retrospective study of 82 patients with intraoral minor salivary gland tumors which were diagnosed from 1979 to 2003 in Gifu University Hospital. The histological diagnoses were reevaluated according to the 1991 WHO classification. A total of 82 tumors, consisting of 55 benign and 27 malignant tumors, were found in 28 male and 54 female Japanese patients; the male-to-female ratio was 1:1.9. The mean age of the patients was 51.4+/-18.1 years. The tumors affected the palate (n = 64), the buccal region (n = 10), the upper lip (n = 6), the floor of the mouth (n = 1), and the retromolar region (n = 1). Histologically, the tumors were classified as pleomorphic adenoma (n = 54), papillary cystadenoma (n = 1), adenoid cystic carcinoma (n = 10), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (n = 8), acinic cell carcinoma (n = 3), adenocarcinoma (n = 2), basal cell adenocarcinoma (n = 1), papillary cystadenocarcinoma (n = 1), and carcinoma in pleomorphic adenoma (n = 2). From the results of the present study and review of the literature, it is suggested that the minor salivary gland tumors in Japan may be characterized by a higher incidence of benign tumors, especially of pleomorphic adenoma; a more marked tendency for female predominance; a higher incidence of palatal involvement; and a rarer occurrence of polymorphous low grade adenocarcinoma, in comparison with those reported in the literature from outside of Japan.