A clinic pathologic study of 82 intraoral minor salivary gland tumors

Background : intraoral minor salivary glands tumors (MSGT) are uncommon, with geographic variations in frequency and distribution. The aim of this study is to analyze the clinic pathologic characteristics of these tumors in Shiraz, southern Iran. Patients and Methods : we retrospectively evaluated patient’s age, gender, tumor location, and tumor type of all cases of epithelial MSGT (diagnosed on the basis of histopathology test results) recorded by the Pathology Department of the. Khalili Hospital from 2005 to 2009 Results : out of the 82 reviewed cases of MSGT, 53.7% were benign and 46.3% were malignant. Pleomorphic adenomas (PA) and adenoid cystic carcinomas were the most common benign and malignant tumors, respectively. The palate was the most common site of involvement (64.6%). Male to female ratio was 1:1.27. The mean ages of the patients with benign and malignant tumors were 35.0 ± 17.2 years and 48.8 ± 18.2 years, respectively. Conclusions : the characteristics of MSGTs found in this study were similar to those described in other studies. However, our patients with benign tumors were younger than those reported in other studies.