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International Journal of Clinical Oncology

Open Access 16-03-2024 | Original Article

Salivary gland-type cancers: cross-organ demographics of a rare cancer

Authors: Aika Tanzawa, Kengo Saito, Masayuki Ota, Koji Takahashi, Izumi Ohno, Toyoyuki Hanazawa, Katsuhiro Uzawa, Yuichi Takiguchi

Published in: International Journal of Clinical Oncology

Abstract

Background

Salivary gland-type cancers (SGTCs) are histologically heterogeneous and can affect organs other than the salivary glands. Some tumors outside the salivary glands are diagnosed on their unique histological characteristics. Comprehensive cross-organ studies on SGTCs are limited.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with salivary duct carcinoma (SDC), adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma (EMC), acinic cell carcinoma (AcCC), and polymorphous adenocarcinoma (PAC) who visited our institution between 2009 and 2019. The primary tumor sites were classified into four categories; major salivary glands, head/neck (H/N) excluding (exc) major salivary glands (MSG) regions, broncho-pulmonary regions, and “others”. H/N exc MSG was further divided into three subcategories, nasal/paranasal sinus, oral and pharynx/larynx.

Results

We identified 173 patients with SGTCs, with SDC, AdCC, MEC, EMC, AcCC, and PAC accounting for 20%, 42%, 27%, 3%, 8%, and 1% of the cases, respectively. The most frequent primary site was the major salivary glands (64%), followed by H/N exc MSG regions (27%), broncho-pulmonary regions, and “others”, thus non-salivary gland origins accounted for 9% of all cases. Patients with SDC, MEC, AcCC, or SGTC of the major salivary glands and broncho-pulmonary regions were more frequently treated by surgery. The overall survival time of the patients with MEC was significantly better than that of patients with SDC or EMC.

Conclusions

This cross-organ study highlights the clinical significance of SGTCs, underscoring the need for developing novel therapies for this rare disease entity.

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Title: Salivary gland-type cancers: cross-organ demographics of a rare cancer
Authors: Aika Tanzawa
Kengo Saito
Masayuki Ota
Koji Takahashi
Izumi Ohno
Toyoyuki Hanazawa
Katsuhiro Uzawa
Yuichi Takiguchi
Publication date: 16-03-2024
Publisher: Springer Nature Singapore
Published in: International Journal of Clinical Oncology
Print ISSN: 1341-9625
Electronic ISSN: 1437-7772
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-024-02505-3

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