A 14-year retrospective study on clinical and histopathological features of epithelial salivary gland neoplasms

Objectives: To investigate and describe the clinicopathological profile of pleomorphic adenoma, salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma, and mucoepidermoid carcinoma cases at a Northeast Brazilian Oral Pathology referral center. Methods: Clinical features, histopathological diagnoses, subtypes, and specific histopathological features were collected from all cases previously diagnosed as pleomorphic adenoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, or mucoepidermoid carcinoma between 2008 and 2021. Results: Among 9613 cases diagnosed at the service, 86 (0.75%) were salivary gland neoplasms, included in this study. Of these, pleomorphic adenomas were the most common neoplasm (n = 49; 57.0%), followed by mucoepidermoid carcinomas (n = 23; 26.7%) and adenoid cystic carcinomas (n = 14; 16.3%). Patients ranged in age from 8 to 87 years old (mean age, 44.5 years), and the majority were female (65.3%). The palate was the most affected site in all salivary gland neoplasms. The predominant classifications were classical subtypes in pleomorphic adenomas (65.3%), cribriform and solid patterns in adenoid cystic carcinomas (42.8% both), and low-grade in mucoepidermoid carcinomas (n = 10; 43.5%). Adenoid cystic carcinoma cases were associated with pain (p < 0.001), age > 45 years (p = 0.024), and evolution time < 12 months (p = 0.019). Conclusions: The findings of this study align with the literature. Although salivary gland neoplasms present overlapping clinical features, the association between clinical variables and adenoid cystic carcinoma diagnosis might aid clinical practice.