TUMORS OF PALATALMINOR SALIVARY GLANDS: A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Salivary gland neoplasms make about 3 % of all Head & Neck tumours. These
tumors are uncommon, accounting for 10 to 15% of all salivary gland neoplasms. Unfortunately the
majority of such tumours are malignant. The study aims to give an account of the nature of these tumors.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study was conducted in the departments
of ENT Head & Neck Surgery of two main tertiary care hospitals of Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa i.e. PGMI
Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar and PGMI Govt lady Reading Hospital Peshawar from July
2008 to June 2013. Data extracted from charts review of patients contained age, sex, geographical
distribution, symptoms, histopathological diagnosis, and treatment. Patients presented to these
departments with lesions on the palate and who were managed there were included in the audit. Data
thus obtained were analyzed using SPSS 16.
RESULTS: A total of 46 patients including 19 male and 27 female presented with primary neoplasms
originating in the palatal minor salivary glands were enrolled in the audit. These included 11 benign and
35 malignant lesions. Most of the patients were Pakistani (29) as compared to Afghani population (17).
Patients ranged in age from the second to the eighth decades, with a female preponderance. The most
common malignant lesion was mucoepidermid carcinoma followed by adenoid cystic carcinoma
whereas in benign category pleomorphic adenoma was more common tumor.
CONCLUSION: The vast majority of neoplasms of the minor salivary glands in the palate are
malignant. These should be managed without delay with wide excision and subsequently subjected to
histopathology to arrive at a correct diagnosis..
KEY WORDS: Minor salivary glands, neoplasms, palate, malignant, Benign.