Epidemiological study of salivary gland tumours.

Tumours located in the salivary glands form the most heterogeneous group in all human oncological pathology. They show various epidemiological, clinical and evolutionary characteristics which separate them from other neoplasms of the head and neck. In this paper, we have carried out a study on their epidemiological aspects, collecting 80 cases diagnosed in the ENT Service of the University Hospital Complex of Santiago over 17 years. The incidence was 1.22 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. The frequency was higher in males (58.75%) and in the 7th decade of age. A predominance was noticed in females under 40 years of age and in males over this age, but the differences were not statistically significant. The most frequent site was the parotid gland, and we could not find any case in the sublingual gland. In 52.5% of cases the tumour was benign, pleomorphic adenoma being the most prevalent. Among malignant tumours, the epidermoid carcinoma stood out in our series. The prevalence of benign tumours in females and of malignant tumours in males was clear, with significant differences. We compare our results with the data published in the literature.