NEOPLASIAS DE GLÂNDULAS SALIVARES MENORES: ESTUDO OBSERVACIONAL RETROSPECTIVO DO TRIÂNGULO MINEIRO

Abstract

Minor salivary gland neoplasms constitute a rare and heterogeneous group of lesions with wide histopathological diversity and variable biological behavior. Although uncommon in the oral cavity, they are clinically relevant due to diagnostic challenges and the higher proportion of malignancy compared with major salivary glands. This study aimed to retrospectively describe and analyze the clinicopathological profile of intraoral minor salivary gland neoplasms diagnosed in two Oral Pathology services from the Triângulo Mineiro region, Brazil. This retrospective observational study was based on the analysis of medical records and histopathological reports from the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU; 1978–2024) and the University of Uberaba (UNIUBE; 1999–2024). Cases of minor salivary gland neoplasms were included, while cases with inconsistent or incomplete data, duplicate cases, and major salivary gland neoplasms were excluded. A total of 25,168 reports were reviewed, of which 344 (1.37%) corresponded to salivary gland neoplasms. After exclusions, the final sample comprised 229 cases. Sociodemographic and clinicopathological variables were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test (p < 0.05). Of the total, 125/229 cases (54.6%) were benign neoplasms and 104/229 (45.4%) were malignant. Pleomorphic adenoma was the most frequent subtype (40.2%), followed by mucoepidermoid carcinoma (14.8%) and polymorphous adenocarcinoma (9.6%). There was a predominance of females (65.5%), a mean age of 49.3 years, and greater involvement of the palate (47.2%). Most lesions presented nodular growth (84.3%) and were asymptomatic (78.2%). Significant associations were observed between malignancy and male sex, extrapalatal location, shorter duration, presence of symptoms, ulceration, non-normochromic coloration, incisional biopsy, and higher frequency of compromised surgical margins (p < 0.05). The findings allowed the characterization of the clinicopathological profile of minor salivary gland neoplasms in the studied population, highlighting important associations related to malignancy.