Neoplasms of the salivary glands in a Turkish adult population.

OBJECTIVE

This retrospective study aimed to investigate the types and distribution of neoplasm of salivary glands in a Turkish population.

STUDY DESIGN

The histological diagnosis records of the Department of Pathology at Cumhuriyet University were reevaluated for 125 patients who were treated for salivary gland tumors from 1987 to 2008. The neoplasms were analyzed for histological diagnosis, age, sex, and site. The histological diagnoses were analyzed according to the 2005 WHO classification.

RESULTS

A total of 125 primary salivary gland neoplasms, consisting of 95 (76%) benign and 30 (24%) malignant groups were recorded. The most common major and minor salivary gland sites were the parotid (61.6%) and palatal glands (9.6%), respectively. Pleomorphic adenoma was the most frequent benign tumor followed by Warthin's tumor. Among the malignant group, adenoid cystic carcinoma was the most prevalent. Age for all cases ranged from 16-80 years; mean age was 41.97 years, with a female to male ratio of 1:1.15.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there were some discrepancies, the characteristics of salivary gland tumors of Turkish patients are in line with those of patients from other countries according to tumor type, tumor site distribution, and age and sex of patients.