Evaluation of HER2/neu expression in different types of salivary gland tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the overexpression rate of HER2 in patients with salivary gland tumors. We included peer-reviewed publications from 1995 to 2020, indexed in medical databases, using search terms such as “human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)” and “salivary gland tumors”, and extracted relevant data. The extracted data were analyzed with RevMan 5.3 software. Intra-and intergroup post hoc analyses of outcome variables were performed using t-tests, and the rates of HER2 positivity among studies were evaluated. 80 studies were included in the analysis. The positive rates of HER2 ranged from 3.3% to 84.0% and 1% to 9% in malignant and benign subtypes, respectively. The highest HER2 overexpression rate among malignant tumors was in salivary ductal carcinomas (SDC), with a 45% positive rate (CI 95%: 21.9–70.3%). Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) had the highest positive rate of 84% (CI 95%: 74.1–90.0%). Among benign salivary gland tumors, the highest rate was found in myoepithelioma, with a positive rate of 9% (CI 95%: 1.7–33.6%). The highest rate of HER2 overexpression is present in malignant subtypes of salivary gland tumors, more specifically in salivary ductal carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinomas, salivary duct carcinoma in situ, and carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma.