[Basic and clinical research on salivary gland tumors]

Salivary gland tumors are a group of the most common tumors in the oral and maxillofacial region. They have features with complicated histopathologic classification and wide distribution. There is little knowledge on the clinicopathologic characteristics and clinical behaviors of salivary gland tumors of various locations and subtype. The management of salivary gland tumors is also controversial. Biopsy is not suggested because of seeding of tumor cells. Therefore adjunctive methods are important for preoperative diagnosis. Since 1985, our research group has performed a series of basic and clinical researches on salivary gland tumors including clinicopathologic characteristics and behavior, preoperative adjunctive diagnosis, mechanism, prevention and treatment of distant metastasis of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma, and histogenesis of salivary gland tumor. These studies have improved our knowledge on the clinical, histopathological, cytological, imaging features, and bio-behavior of different types of salivary gland tumors. We have also suggested related principles of management, modified the operative methods of benign tumor of parotid gland. Our efforts have raised the standards of diagnosis and treatment of salivary gland tumors.