ABSTRACT
Salivary Gland tumors are occasionally seen. They constitute approximately 3% of all head and neck tumors. This study presents the clinical characteristics of 128 patotid gland masses diagnosed and treated in our clinic.
The files of 128 patients, who underwent parotidectomy for parotid gland mass in the First Ear-Nose-Throat Clinic of the Haseki Training and Research Hospital between January 2000 and January 2010, were reviewed retrospectively. The routine Ear-Nose-Throat examinations, the ultrasonography findings, the fine-needle aspiration biopsy results and those of the pathological examinations of the cases were assessed.
67 of the cases were female and 61 were male. The youngest patient was 12-year-old and the oldest patient was 77-year-old; the mean age was 49.4 years. The mean follow-up time was 5.9 years. 109 of the detected masses were benign, while 19 of them were malignant. The most frequent benign tumor was pleomorphic adenoma; on the other hand, the most common malignant tumor was mucoepidermiod carcinoma.
Due to the fact that the tumors originating from the parotid gland demonstrate histologic diversity, that they are seen occasionally and the pre-operative diagnosis is difficult, it is hard to develop a standard treatment protocol.