of minor salivary gland cancers in the oral cavity is mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Cervical lymph node metastases are rare.11 In minor salivary glands tumors:The most common salivary gland cancer of the trachea is mucoepidermoid carcinoma.The most common salivary gland cancer on the hard palate is adenoid cystic carcinoma.Perineural invasion is a feature of acinic cell carcinoma.The most common pathology that develops distant metastases is adenoid cystic carcinoma.Answer: d. The most common pathology that develops distant metastases is adenoid cystic cancer (lungs). The most common tracheal tumor is adenoid cystic carcinoma. The most common minor salivary gland tumor of the hard palate is polymorphous low‐grade adenocarcinoma. Perineural invasion is a feature of adenoid cystic carcinoma.
12 Which of the following statements regarding the outcome of minor salivary gland cancers is true?The overall survival of minor salivary gland cancer is poor with 5‐year disease‐specific survival of 50–60%.Distant failure is more common than local or regional failure.Patients with high‐grade pathology have similar outcomes to those with low‐grade pathology.The main predictor of outcome is the presence of perineural invasion.Female patients have a poorer survival to male patients.Answer: b. Patients with minor salivary cancer tend to have a very good overall survival of 80% and disease‐specific survival of 80–90%. The main predictors of outcome are stage III/IV disease and high‐grade pathology. Female patients have a superior survival compared to male patients. Distant failure is more common and is the leading cause of death.
13 Which of the following statements is correct with regards to the primary site of a minor salivary gland cancer?Tumors of the sinonasal tract have a poorer outcome.The most common site in the oral cavity is the floor of the mouth.Tumors of the oropharynx tend to be mucoepidermoid cancer.Tumors arising from the oropharynx have superior outcome to those of the oral cavity.Answer: a. Of all of the subsites, tumors arising from the sinonasal tract tend to have poorer outcomes. This is because they present with a more advanced local stage (T3, T4) and are more likely to have positive margin resection. Within the oral cavity, the most common subsite is the hard palate. In the trachea, the most common pathology is adenoid cystic cancer. Patients with tumors in the oropharynx have similar outcomes to those with oral cavity cancers.
Reference
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