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
Review
. 2023 Feb 15;15(4):1236.
doi: 10.3390/cancers15041236.

Histopathological Aspects of the Prognostic Factors for Salivary Gland Cancers

Haruto Nishida  1 , Takahiro Kusaba  1 , Kazuhiro Kawamura  1 , Yuzo Oyama  1 , Tsutomu Daa  1
Affiliations
Review

Histopathological Aspects of the Prognostic Factors for Salivary Gland Cancers

Haruto Nishida et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Salivary gland cancers (SGCs) are diagnosed using histopathological examination, which significantly contributes to their progression, including lymph node/distant metastasis or local recurrence. In the current World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Head and Neck Tumors: Salivary Glands (5th edition), malignant and benign epithelial tumors are classified into 21 and 15 tumor types, respectively. All malignant tumors have the potential for lymph node/distant metastasis or local recurrence. In particular, mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC), salivary duct carcinoma, salivary carcinoma, not otherwise specified (NOS, formerly known as adenocarcinoma, NOS), myoepithelial carcinoma, epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma, and carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (PA) are relatively prevalent. High-grade transformation is an important aspect of tumor progression in SGCs. MEC, AdCC, salivary carcinoma, and NOS have a distinct grading system; however, a universal histological grading system for SGCs has not yet been recommended. Conversely, PA is considered benign; nonetheless, it should be cautiously treated to avoid the development of metastasizing/recurrent PA. The aim of this review is to describe the current histopathological aspects of the prognostic factors for SGCs and discuss the genes or molecules used as diagnostic tools that might have treatment target potential in the future.

Keywords: genetics; histopathology; molecules; prognostic factors; salivary gland cancers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) with high-grade transformation. There is intermediate-grade MEC in the upper region, and the lower region shows high-grade transformation (a). Intermediate-grade MEC forms glandular or solid structures and consists mainly of intermediate cells with moderate atypia (increased nuclear size with an obvious nucleus) (b). The high-grade region shows undifferentiated features, and the cells lack the original morphology (c).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Micropapillary salivary duct carcinoma (SDC). The tumor forms many micropapillary nests that consist of eosinophilic cytoplasm and irregular nuclear-like SDC.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Perineural invasion and lymphatic invasion. Adenoid cystic carcinoma shows frequent perineural invasion (a), and salivary duct carcinoma shows lymphatic invasion (b).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The morphological features of low/intermediate mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). The tumor forms cystic (a; low grade) and solid growth patterns (b; intermediate). In both cases, tumor cell atypia is mild, but the intermediate category shows slightly different nuclear sizes with mitosis.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The histological grade of adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC). The tumor shows tubular (left), cribriform (middle), and solid (right) growth patterns.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hyrcza M.D., Skalova A., Thompson L.D.R., Bishop J.A., Mehrotra R. Introduction. WHO Classification of Tumours Edited by the WHO Classification of Tumours Editorial Board. Head and Neck Tumours. IARC; Lyon, France: 2022. [(accessed on 20 November 2022)]. Available online: https://tumourclassification.iarc.who.int/chaptercontent/52/53.
    1. Bishop J.A., Thompson L.D.R., Wakely P.E., Jr., Weinreb I. Tumors of the Salivary Glands. American Registry of Pathology; Arlington, VA, USA: 2021. AFIP Atlases of tumor and non-tumor pathology. (5th Series Fascicle 5).
    1. Seethala R.R., Altemani A., Ferris R.L., Fonseca I., Gnepp D.R., Ha P., Nagao T., Skalova A., Stenman G., Thompson L.D.R. Data Set for the Reporting of Carcinomas of the Major Salivary Glands: Explanations and Recommendations of the Guidelines from the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 2019;143:578–586. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2018-0422-SA. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Spiro R.H. Salivary Neoplasms: Overview of a 35-Year Experience with 2,807 Patients. Head Neck Surg. 1986;8:177–184. doi: 10.1002/hed.2890080309. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Seethala R.R. Histologic Grading and Prognostic Biomarkers in Salivary Gland Carcinomas. Adv. Anat. Pathol. 2011;18:29–45. doi: 10.1097/PAP.0b013e318202645a. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources