Salivary gland tumors

Tumori žlijezda slinovnica su rijetki i predstavljaju oko 3% tumora usne šupljine. Približno 85% ih nastaje u velikim slinovnicama, od toga 90% u parotidi a 10 % u submandibularnoj žlijezdi. Sublingvalna žlijezda je izuzetno rijetko zahvaćena. Ostalih 15-25% nastaje u malim slinovnicama, prvenstveno nepca. Za razliku od tumora velikih žlijezda slinovnica koji su u 85% slučajeva dobroćudni, gotovo polovina neoplazmi malih slinovnica je zloćudna. Nešto više tumora slinovnica nastaje u žena, osim pojedinih histoloških tipova kao Warthinov tumor, koji su češći u muškaraca. Vršak incidencije većine histoloških tipova je u 6. i 7. desetljeću života, no najčešći tumori kao što su pleomorfni adenom, mukoepidermoidni i acinocelularni karcinom nastaju uglavnom u trećoj i četvrtoj dekadi života, a mogu se pojaviti i u djece. Iako su rijetki, zbog izuzetne histološke raznolikosti u klasifikaciji postoje kao opće prihvaćeni entiteti 10 tipova benignih i 24 tipa malignih epitelnih tumora, a mogu se razviti i svi tipovi tumora mekih tkiva te hematolimfoidne neoplazme. Zbog toga ih je često vrlo teško pravilno patohistološki dijagnosticirati, što je osnovni preduvjet za odabir optimalnog terapijskog zahvata i predviđanje prognoze. U ovom su radu prikazani najčešći tumori slinovnica, a usporedbom učestalosti pojedinih tipova i njihove raspodjele prema lokalizaciji, dobi i spolu bolesnika objavljenima u svjetskoj literaturi i našim objavljenim studijama nema bitne razlike, osim što je u našim studijama najčešći maligni tumor slinovnica adenoid cistični karcinom.Salivary gland tumors are rare and represent about 3% of tumors occuring in oral cavity. Approximately 85% arise in major salivary glands of which 90% in parotid gland and 10% in submadibular gland. Sublingual gland is very rarely affected. The remaining 15-25% are located in minor salivary glands, most frequently in the palate. Unlike tumors of the major salivary glands which are benign in 85% of cases, almost half of the minor salivary gland tumors are malignant. Apart of Warthin's tumor which is more frequently found in men, other salivary gland tumors are slightly more common in women. Peak incidence for most of histological types is at 6. and 7. decade although the most common ones (pleomorphic adenoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma and acinic cell carcinoma) have their peak in third and fourth decade of life and can also affect children. Even though they are rare, due to the great variety of the histological appearances, there are 10 types of benign and 24 types of malignant epithelial tumors recognized by WHO classification. Additionally, all kind of soft tissue tumors and hematolymphoid neoplasms can also be found. Due to diverse histological patterns, sometimes it can be extremely complicated to make an accurate histopathological diagnosis which is the key for optimal treatment and survival estimation. In studies made at our clinic, considering localization, age and gender of patients we found no significant difference comparing to the literature, except the fact that in our data the most common malignant tumor of the salivary gland was adenoid cystic carcinoma