Minor intraoral salivary gland tumors: a clinical-pathological study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical-pathological profile of patients with minor salivary gland neoplasms. METHODS: A retrospective study of specific cases diagnosed as benign and malignant tumors of the minor salivary glands was performed. The data were collected from medical records of patients seen at a hospital over a period of 15 years. The sample was made up of 37 cases. For the pathological study, slides containing 5μm thick sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin were used. The data were tabulated using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Malignant neoplasms represented 70.3% of cases. The mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common neoplasm (45.9%), followed by pleomorphic adenoma (24.4%). Most patients were female (70.3%), aged between 71 and 80 years. The palate (67.6%) and the retromolar region (10.8%) were the most affected sites. CONCLUSION: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common tumor in minor salivary glands. These tumors are more common in females aged over 40 years. The palate was the most common affected site.