Incidence and survival of primary major salivary gland carcinoma in Germany over the last decade: A nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND

Primary salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) are rare tumors comprising 5 % of head and neck cancers. While most published studies on SGC in Germany focus on state-level data, nationwide population-based data on incidence, demographics, and outcomes have not been reported.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to provide a nationwide overview of the incidence, clinicopathologic characteristics, and survival of patients with primary SGC of the major salivary glands in Germany.

DESIGN AND

METHODS

Data were extracted from the German Centre for Cancer Registry Data (ZfKD), covering all 16 federal states, for the period 2009-2022. Patients with primary malignant neoplasms of the major salivary glands were included. Crude and age standardized incidence rates were calculated. Relative survival was estimated using the period approach, stratified by demographic and tumor characteristics.

RESULTS

We identified 10,808 SGC cases. The most frequent subtypes were adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified (ANOS) (18.4 %), mucoepidermoid (MEC, 13.5 %), adenoid cystic (ACC, 13.3 %), acinic cell (Acin, 10.4 %), and salivary duct carcinoma (SDC, 5.7 %). The mean age-standardized incidence rate was 5.2/1000,000 person-years, 5.8 for men and 4.8 for women, and increased slightly over observation period. A decline in ANOS and increase in SDC incidence were observed, primarily among men. The five-year relative survival was 70 %, with a pronounced disparity observed between male (62 %) and female (80 %) patients. Survival declined with advanced tumor status, nodal involvement, and distant metastasis.

CONCLUSION

To date, this represents the largest epidemiological investigation of major SGC worldwide. Over the observation period, the incidence of major SGC has slightly increased in Germany. Men showed a distinctly more unfavorable prognosis than women and were more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive entities like ANOS and SDC.