Salivary gland tumors

Last revised by Ashesh Ishwarlal Ranchod on 27 Oct 2024

Salivary gland tumors are variable in location, origin, and malignant potential. 

Pathology

In general, the ratio of benign to malignant tumors is proportional to the gland size; i.e. the parotid gland tends to have benign neoplasms, the submandibular gland 50:50, and the sublingual glands and accessory glands mostly malignant. Due to the size discrepancy, in absolute numbers, the parotid gland has the most tumors.

Location

Overall ~80% of all parotid masses are benign and the majority of these are pleomorphic adenomas.

Subtypes
Benign
Malignant

See also

Cases and figures

  • Figure 1: illustration - salivary glands
  • Figure 2: chart - relative frequency
  • Figure 3: submandibular gland pleomorphic adenoma
  • Case 2: mucoepidermoid carcinoma
  • Case 3: pleomorphic adenoma
  • Case 4: oncocytoma of submandibular gland
  • Case 5: parotid lipoma
  • Case 6: parotid lymphoma
  • Case 7: submandibular gland pleomorphic adenoma
  • Case 8: lymphoepithelial carcinoma - submandibular gland
  • Case 9: acinic cell carcinoma
:

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.