Salivary Gland Tumors

Current thinking on malignant salivary gland neoplasms

Rodrigo Arrangoiz*, Pavlos Papavasiliuo, David Sarcu, Thomas J. Galloway, John A. Ridge, Miriam Lango

Temple University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia USA 19111

Email address:

rodrigo.arrangoiz@gmail.com(R. Arrangoiz), pavlos.papavasiliuo@fccc.edu(P. Papavasiliuo), david.sarcu@tuhs.temple.edu(D. Sarcu), thomas.galloway@fccc.edu(T. J. Galloway), john.ridge@fccc.edu(J. A. Ridge), miriam.lango@fccc.edu(M. Lango)

To cite this article:

Rodrigo Arrangoiz, Pavlos Papavasiliuo, David Sarcu, Thomas J. Galloway, John A. Ridge, Miriam Lango. Current Thinking on Malignant Salivary Gland Neoplasms. Journal of Cancer Treatment and Research. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2013, pp. 8-24.
doi: 10.11648/j.jctr.20130101.12

Abstract:Malignant salivary gland neoplasms are rare, representing approximately 3% to 7% of all head and neck cancers. Contrasting from the more common mucosal head and neck cancers, which, in general, are ascribed to excessive tobacco, alcohol use, and more recently to viral infection, specific carcinogenic factors for malignant salivary gland growths have not been as clearly identified. Histologically, they represent a heterogeneous group of tumors. Forty histologic types of epithelial tumors of the salivary glands have been reported; some are exceedingly rare and may be the topic of only a few case reports. Salivary tumors can arise in the major salivary glands or in one of the minor salivary glands (predominantly mucus secreting glands), which are distributed throughout the upper aerodigestive. Most patients who develop malignant salivary gland tumors are in the sixth or seventh decade of life. FNA should be considered as part of the diagnostic evaluation but due to its varying sensitivities and specificities imaging modalities such as ultrasound, CT scans, and MRI should also be used as diagnostic adjuncts. Surgery is the primary modality for management of these tumors, nontraditional surgical approaches and instrumentation, as well as facial nerve monitoring, can be selectively utilized to try and decrease the morbidity associated with these surgical procedures. Adjuvant treatment is primarily achieved with radiation therapy. Chemotherapy continues to have a palliative role in the management of salivary gland tumors; however, research in this field is trying to identify a therapeutic role for chemotherapy in order to improve overall survival.

Keywords: Salivary Gland Tumors, Epidemiology of Salivary Gland Tumors, Types of Salivary Gland Tumors, Diagnosis and Treatment of Salivary Gland Tumors

Book Chapter

Abstract

Malignant salivary gland neoplasms represent approximately 3% to 7% of all head and neck cancers making them extremely rare tu- mors. Contrasting from the more common mucosal head and neck cancers, which, in general, are attributed to excessive tobacco, alcohol use, and more recently to viral infection, specific carcinogenic factors for malignant salivary gland growths have not been as clearly identi- fied. Histologically, they represent a heterogeneous group of tumors. Salivary tumors can arise in the major salivary glands or in one of the minor salivary glands (predominantly mucus secreting glands), which are distributed throughout the upper aerodigestive. Most pa- tients who develop malignant salivary gland tumors are in the sixth or seventh decade of life. FNA should be considered as part of the di- agnostic evaluation but due to its varying sensitivities and specificities imaging modalities such as ultrasound, CT scans, and MRI should also be used as diagnostic adjuncts. Surgery is the primary modality for management of these tumors, nontraditional surgical approaches and instrumentation, as well as facial nerve monitoring, can be selectively utilized to try and decrease the morbidity associated with these surgical procedures. Adjuvant treatment is primarily achieved with radiation therapy. Chemotherapy continues to have a palliative role in the management of salivary gland tumors; however, research in this field is trying to identify a therapeutic role for chemotherapy in order to improve overall survival.