Lymphadenoma of the salivary gland: Report of 10 cases

Lymphadenoma of the salivary gland is rare, and the typical characteristics of lymphadenoma remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the experience of a single institution in the clinical diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this type of tumor of the salivary gland. All cases of lymphadenoma diagnosed at the institution between 1996 and 2012 were analyzed. The clinical information (including age, gender and tumor location, process of tumor development, imaging data, surgical treatment and follow-up information) and pathological features were evaluated. All tumors occurred in the parotid glands; three cases were sebaceous lymphadenoma (two male and one female) and seven were non-sebaceous lymphadenoma (three male and four female). The average ages of the patients were 68.3 and 42.4 years for the sebaceous and non-sebaceous groups, respectively. The majority of cases (90%) were diagnosed as pleomorphic adenoma or adenolymphoma prior to surgery, but were confirmed as lymphadenoma by pathological analysis following surgery. During the follow-up period, which ranged between 3 and 36 months with a mean of 30 months, no recurrence of the lesion was identified and the quality of life was good for each patient. In conclusion, the diagnosis of salivary gland lymphadenoma should be based on the clinical and, in particular, the pathological manifestations of the disease. Immunohistochemistry is considered as a practical and helpful adjuvant method of the diagnosis for this type of tumor. Complete surgical resection is the first choice of treatment. Further exploration of the histological origin of lymphadenoma of the salivary gland is necessary due to the insufficient number of reported cases.