Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan;132(1):73-77.
doi: 10.1002/lary.29726. Epub 2021 Jul 2.

Histopathology of Parotid Pleomorphic Adenomas: A "Pleomorphic Approach" to a Demanding Lesion

Konstantinos Mantsopoulos  1 , Vivian Thimsen  1 , Antoniu-Oreste Gostian  1 , Sarina K Müller  1 , Matti Sievert  1 , Ann-Kristin Iro  1 , Abbas Agaimy  2 , Heinrich Iro  1
Affiliations

Histopathology of Parotid Pleomorphic Adenomas: A "Pleomorphic Approach" to a Demanding Lesion

Konstantinos Mantsopoulos et al. Laryngoscope. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to identify potential associations between epidemiologic, morphologic, and histopathologic features in pleomorphic adenomas (PAs) of the parotid gland in order to extract information about the natural course and biologic behavior of these lesions on the basis of a single-center series of 845 cases within a period of 15 years.

Study design: Retrospective study in a tertiary academic center.

Methods: For this study, an experienced head and neck pathologist critically re-evaluated the histological slides of the pathological specimens of all patients who underwent a parotidectomy for PA of the parotid gland between 2006 and 2020.

Results: A total of 845 cases made up our study sample. Our analysis showed a statistically significant association of the histologic subtype with younger age (P = .001) and maximal diameter (P = .044), with the hypocellular type being encountered more often in younger patients and in smaller lesions. The same subtype was significantly associated with an incomplete capsule (P = .001), pseudopodia (P = .006), and satellite nodules (P = .001). An incomplete capsule was associated with the presence of pseudopodia (P = .001) and satellite nodules (P = .001).

Conclusion: It seems that various histologic subtypes have different capsule-producing properties. Apparently, over the course of time, tumor material builds a finger-like projection still inside the capsule, separates itself from the parenchyma with fibrous tissue still remaining enclosed within the capsule (pseudopodium), slowly penetrates the capsule (incomplete capsule), and leaves the main lesion taking a part of the capsule with it (satellite nodules). Laryngoscope, 132:73-77, 2022.

Keywords: Parotid gland; capsule; pleomorphic adenoma; pseudopodia; satellite nodules.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Mantsopoulos K, Iro AK, Sievert M, et al. Refinement of the surgical indication and increasing expertise are associated with a better quality of pathology specimen in pleomorphic adenomas. Acta Otolaryngol 2021;141:414-418. https://doi.org/10.1080/00016489.2021.1871947.
    1. Iro AK, Agaimy A, Muller SK, Sievert M, Iro H, Mantsopoulos K. Satellite nodules in pleomorphic adenomas of the parotid gland: a nightmare for less invasive parotid surgery? Oral Oncol Apr 2021;115:105218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oraloncology.2021.105218.
    1. Witt RL, Eisele DW, Morton RP, Nicolai P, Poorten VV, Zbaren P. Etiology and management of recurrent parotid pleomorphic adenoma. Laryngoscope 2015;125:888-893. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.24964.
    1. Mantsopoulos K, Iro AK, Sievert M, et al. Is extracapsular dissection for pleomorphic adenoma rather a euphemism for enucleation jeopardising the intactness of the capsule? Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjoms.2021.03.002.
    1. Mantsopoulos K, Scherl C, Iro H. Investigation of arguments against properly indicated extracapsular dissection in the parotid gland. Head Neck 2017;39:498-502. https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.24629.

Supplementary concepts

LinkOut - more resources