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A Comprehensive Review of 148 Cases of Major Salivary Gland Tumours: Critical Insights Into Metastatic Patterns, Prognostic Factors, and Treatment Outcomes

Soussan Irani

Corresponding Author

Soussan Irani

Oral Pathology Department, Dental Faculty, Dental Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia

Correspondence:

Soussan Irani ([email protected]; [email protected])

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First published: 15 July 2025

Funding: The author received no specific funding for this work.

ABSTRACT

Aim

To analyse the clinicopathological characteristics of cases of major salivary gland tumours associated with distant metastasis.

Materials and Methods

A relevant search of English literature was conducted in PubMed, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar for distant metastasis from major salivary gland tumours.

Results

This retrospective study included 148 reported cases. Among them, 79 patients were male and 69 were female. The mean age of the patients was 53 ± 14. The parotid gland was the most frequently metastatic salivary gland, and various bones were the most common metastatic sites, followed by the lungs. Adenoid cystic carcinoma was the most common histological tumour type. The time interval between the development of a primary tumour and the diagnosis of the metastatic lesion ranged from 2 to 600 months. In most patients, the secondary lesion was diagnosed in less than 127 months. In 103 cases, the patient was alive at the time of reporting.

Conclusion

Adenoid cystic carcinoma and metastasising pleomorphic adenoma are highly aggressive major salivary gland tumours characterised by rapid growth and distant metastasis. Although distant metastasis from major salivary gland tumours is not common, it signifies a poor prognosis, with death occurring within months of detection. Therefore, greater attention should be paid to major salivary gland tumours.

1 Introduction

Major salivary gland tumours constitute 6% of all malignant tumours in the head and neck region and 0.3% of all malignancies [1]. They exhibit a wide spectrum of clinical, histological, and biological features and have a varied rate of local, regional, and distant metastases [2, 3]. The prevalence has been estimated to be between 8.7% and 50%, depending on histological types and tumour sites [4].

Metastasis is an important biological behaviour of salivary gland tumours that complicates treatment and is associated with poor prognosis [3, 5]. The lungs, bones, brain, and liver are the most common metastatic sites [3]. Undifferentiated carcinoma, followed by adenocarcinoma, is the most common tumours with distant metastasis (DM) [6]. A previous study has indicated that distant metastasis is more frequent in tumours arising in the submandibular gland than in those arising in the parotid gland [7]. Salivary gland tumours comprise a heterogeneous histological group with variable biological behaviour. Metastatic lesions are the main cause of cancer-related deaths in humans [3].

The identification of clinicopathological characteristics of salivary gland tumours associated with DM is crucial for therapeutic planning. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse the clinicopathological characteristics of cases of major salivary gland tumours linked to distant metastasis.

2 Materials & Methods

2.1 Searching Strategy

A relevant search of English literature was conducted in PubMed, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The keywords: “major salivary glands”, and “distant metastasis” were searched in the title/abstract of publications, limited to the years 1970–2024. Only related case reports were included. Figure 1 illustrates the flow of the number of articles identified, included, and excluded at different stages.

Details are in the caption following the image
The flow diagram of the current review.

All variables such as age, gender, primary and secondary tumour sites, histological type of tumour, time interval between detection of the primary tumour and diagnosis of metastasis, and survival status were analysed using the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test.

2.2 Quality Assessment & Data Analysis

For a more comprehensive understanding, all data were categorised into two groups: lesions in males and lesions in females. To perform statistical analysis, metastatic sites with ≤ 6 cases were combined into the miscellaneous group. In addition, histologic types with ≤ 6 cases were grouped as the miscellaneous group. All bones as metastatic sites were classified as one group: various bones.

3 Results

This retrospective study included 148 reported cases. Among them, 79 patients were male and 69 were female. The mean age of the patients was 53 ± 14 (ranging from 10 to 91 years). The parotid gland was the most frequently metastatic salivary gland (n = 105; 70%), and various bones were the most common metastatic sites (n = 31; 20%), followed by the lungs (n = 25; 16%). Adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) was the most common histological tumour type (n = 40; 27%), followed by metastasizing pleomorphic adenoma (MPA) (n = 31; 20%). Interestingly, all histological types were more frequent with distant metastases from the parotid gland except for AdCC, which was more frequent with distant metastases from the submandibular glands (n = 18 vs. n = 19). The time interval between the development of a primary tumour and the diagnosis of the metastatic lesion ranged from 2 to 600 months, with a mean of 127 months. In most patients, the secondary lesion was diagnosed in less than 127 months (n = 84). In 103 cases, the patient was alive at the time of reporting.

Regarding the demographic data for males, the age ranged from 22 to 91 years, with a mean age of 54 ± 13. Additionally, the parotid gland was the most common primary site, with 58 cases, while the sublingual gland was the least frequent primary site, with 4 cases. The most frequent metastatic sites were various bones (17 cases), followed by the lungs (14 cases). The kidney was the least common metastatic site (1 case). Adenoid cystic carcinoma was the most common metastatic histologic type (n = 18), while acinic cell carcinoma was the least metastatic tumour type (n = 3). In most patients (n = 51; 34.46%), metastatic disease was found in less than 127 months. The number of patients who were alive at the time of reporting was 54.

Considering the demographic details of females, the mean age was 52 ± 15 years (ranging from 10 to 83). Additionally, the parotid gland was the most common primary site (n = 47; 31.8%), while the sublingual gland was the least common primary gland (n = 1). Various bones were the most common metastatic sites (n = 14; 9.5%). The lymph nodes were the least common metastatic site (n = 1). The most common histologic type was AdCC (n = 22; 14.9%). In 33 cases (22.3%), the time interval between the development of a malignancy and the diagnosis of the metastatic tumour was less than 127 months, and 49 patients were alive at the time of reporting.

All details are provided in Tables 1 and 2.

TABLE 1. A summary of distant metastasis from salivary gland tumours in males.
Primary site (type of gland) Metastatic site Age range (years) Histological type The time interval from the detection of the primary tumour to the diagnosis of metastasis Survival status after diagnosis till the report of case References
Parotid Lung 26 AdCC 10 years Alive [8]
Parotid Lung, bones, muscles, skin 40 AdCC 15 years Died after 2 months [9]
Parotid Eyes 52 AdCC Same time Alive [10]
Parotid Eye 64 AdCC 5 years Alive [11]
Parotid Brain 60 AdCC 10 years Died after 8 months [12]
Parotid Brain 62 AdCC 12 years Alive [13]
Parotid Brain 52 AdCC 27 years Alive [14]
Parotid Skin 39 AdCC 8 years Alive [15]
Parotid Splenium, corpus callosum 43 AdCC 5 years Alive [16]
Parotid Lung 58 MPA 34 years Alive [17]
Parotid Lung 55 MPA 39 years Alive [18]
Parotid Lung, liver 57 MPA 7 years Alive [19]
Parotid Skin 31 MPA 8 years Alive [20]
Parotid Skin 56 MPA 8 years Alive [21]
Parotid Supraclavicular LN 61 MPA 28 years Alive [22]
Parotid Back of the neck 36 MPA 18 years Alive [23]
Parotid Maxillary gingiva, bone 36 MPA 21 years Alive [24]
Parotid Maxillary sinus 32 MPA 12 years Alive [25]
Parotid Spine 65 MPA 7 years Alive [26]
Parotid Calvaria 33 MPA 16 years Alive [27]
Parotid Lung, spleen 66 CaXPA 3 years Alive [28]
Parotid Eyes 34 CaXPA 1 year Alive [29]
Parotid Eye 65 CaXPA 6 months Died after 2 years [30]
Parotid Brain 36 CaXPA 19 months Died after 2 months [31]
Parotid Abdomen 72 CaXPA 15 months Died after 3 months [32]
Parotid Liver 55 CaXPA Same time Died after 3 months [33]
Parotid Colon 78 CaXPA Same time Alive [34]
Parotid Skin 40 SDC 18 months Alive [35]
Parotid Skin 71 SDC 2 years Alive [36]
Parotid Skin 69 SDC 2 months Alive [36]
Parotid Lung 65 SDC 12 years Alive [37]
Parotid Stomach 67 SDC 1 year Died after 8 months [38]
Parotid Mandibular gingiva 67 SDC 11 months Died after 1 month [39]
Parotid Spine 44 SDC 3 years Died after 7 months [40]
Parotid Eye 43 SDC 6 years Alive [41]
Parotid Eye 56 SDC Same time Alive [42]
Parotid Bones, liver, CLN 68 SDC Same time Alive [43]
Parotid Brain 61 SDC 4 years Alive [44]
Parotid Bulbar conjunctiva 65 MEC 10 months Alive [45]
Parotid Cerebellopontine 72 MEC 4 years Died after 9 months [46]
Parotid Colon 59 MEC 10 years Alive [47]
Parotid Eyes 45 NOS 1 year Alive [48]
Parotid Eye 91 NOS 2 years Died after 5 months [49]
Parotid Endobronchial 43 NOS 9 months Alive [50]
Parotid Lung 64 MyCa Several months Alive [51]
Parotid Kidney 56 MyCa 22 months Alive [52]
Parotid Cavernous sinus 46 MyCa 3 years Alive [53]
Parotid Iliac crest No data ACC 3 years Alive [54]
Parotid Vertebra 40 ACC 4 months Alive [55]
Parotid Skull 53 ACC 7 years Alive [56]
Parotid CLN 74 CyAd 1 year Alive [57]
Parotid Intra-parotid LN 47 CyAd 2 years Alive [57]
Parotid Lung, brain 32 BCA 5 years Alive [58]
Parotid Hand 67 BCA 2 years Alive [59]
Parotid Lung 63 EMC 14 years Alive [60]
Parotid CLN 47 CaS Same time Died after a few months [61]
Parotid Cerebellopontine Angle 61 OC 6 months Died after 1 year [62]
Submandibular Liver 55 AdCC 1 year Died after 3 years [63]
Submandibular Liver 76 AdCC 5 years Alive [64]
Submandibular Spine 45 AdCC 11 years Alive [65]
Submandibular Spine 62 AdCC 7 years Died after a few months [66]
Submandibular Lung 53 AdCC 5 years Alive [8]
Submandibular Great toes 52 AdCC 12 years Alive [67]
Submandibular Sternum 52 AdCC 10 years Alive [68]
Submandibular Lungs 49 MPA 11 years Alive [69]
Submandibular Pelvis 59 MPA 44 years Alive [70]
Submandibular Spine 35 CaXPA Same time Died after a few months [71]
Submandibular Kidney 63 CaXPA 30 years Alive [72]
Submandibular Vertebra 67 OC 30 years Alive [73]
Submandibular CLN 47 OC Same time Alive [74]
Submandibular Lung 51 EMC 3 years Died after 30 months [75]
Submandibular Choroid plexus 46 NOS 5 months Alive [76]
Submandibular CLN 69 CyAd 7 months Alive [57]
Submandibular Skin 22 MyCa No data Alive [77]
Submandibular Spine 50 BCA 5 years Alive [78]
Sublingual Lung 52 AdCC 20 years Died after 2 years [79]
Sublingual Liver 70 AdCC 3 years Alive [80]
Sublingual Brain 64 CaXPA 11 months Died after 6 months [81]
Sublingual Pituitary gland 52 NOS 6 years Alive [82]
  • Abbreviations: ACC, acinic cell carcinoma; AdCC, adenoid cystic carcinoma; BCA, basal cell adenocarcinoma; CaS, carcinosarcoma; CaXPA, carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma; CLN, cervical lymph node; CyAd, cystadenocarcinoma; EMC, epithelial- myoepithelial carcinoma; LN, lymph node; MEC, mucoepidermoid carcinoma; MPA, metastasizing pleomorphic adenoma; MyCa, myoepithelial carcinoma; NOS, not otherwise specified; OC, oncocytic carcinoma; SDC, salivary duct carcinoma.
TABLE 2. A summary of distant metastasis from salivary gland tumours in females.
Primary site (type of gland) Metastatic site Age range (years) Histological type The time interval from the detection of the primary tumour to the diagnosis of metastasis Survival status after diagnosis till the report of case References
Parotid Lung 45 MPA 17 years Alive [21]
Parotid Lungs 33 MPA 23 years Alive [83]
Parotid Lungs 40 MPA 12 years Alive [84]
Parotid Lung 54 MPA 3 years Died after 5 years [85]
Parotid Kidney 40 MPA 16.9 years Alive [86]
Parotid Kidney 68 MPA 28 years Alive [87]
Parotid Kidney 49 MPA 29 years Alive [88]
Parotid Kidney 62 MPA 13 years Alive [89]
Parotid Liver 65 MPA 20 years Alive [90]
Parotid Liver 28 MPA 11 years Alive [91]
Parotid Mediastinal ln 43 MPA 27 years Alive [92]
Parotid Cervical area 36 MPA 15 years Alive [93]
Parotid Brain 10 MPA 3 years Alive [94]
Parotid Sacrum 75 MPA 25 years Alive [95]
Parotid Supraspinatus muscle 65 MPA 24 years Died after 5 months [96]
Parotid Liver 60 AdCC 3 years Died after 2 years [97]
Parotid Liver 30 AdCC 10 years Alive [98]
Parotid Kidney 21 AdCC 7 years Alive [99]
Parotid Kidney 40 AdCC 5 years Died after 10 years [100]
Parotid Skin 63 AdCC 4 years Died after 2 months [101]
Parotid Intrasellar area 78 AdCC 4 years Alive [102]
Parotid Brain 43 AdCC 15 years Alive [103]
Parotid Spine 71 AdCC 37 years Alive [104]
Parotid Pituitary gland 72 AdCC 26 years Alive [105]
Parotid Lung 53 ACC 2 years Died after 6 months [106]
Parotid Lung 65 ACC No data Died after 2 years [107]
Parotid Pancreas 46 ACC 7 years Alive [108]
Parotid Eye 54 ACC Same time Alive [109]
Parotid Skin 59 ACC 20 years Alive [110]
Parotid Vertebra 72 ACC 6 years Alive [111]
Parotid Spine 71 ACC 15 months Died after 8 months [112]
Parotid Ilium 78 ACC 1 year Alive [113]
Parotid Mandible 41 CaXPA Same time Alive [114]
Parotid Brain 66 CaXPA 40 years Died after 18 months [115]
Parotid Kidney 32 CaXPA 3 years Died after 2 years [116]
Parotid Lung 80 SDC Same time Died after 11 months [117]
Parotid Uterus 61 SDC 3 years Alive [118]
Parotid Brain 52 PDC 1 year Alive [119]
Parotid Pelvic, femur 19 PDC 8 months Alive [120]
Parotid Spine 41 EMC 1 year Alive [121]
Parotid Vertebra 65 EMC 18 months Alive [122]
Parotid Skull 55 MEC 6 years Alive [123]
Parotid Ovaries, peritoneum 28 MEC 11 years Died after 14 months [124]
Parotid Lung 52 NOS Same time Died after 15 months [125]
Parotid Skin 83 NOS 50 years Died after 1 month [126]
Parotid Scalp 58 BCA 2 years Alive [127]
Submandibular Eyes 45 AdCC 11 years Died after 5 weeks [128]
Submandibular Eyes 56 AdCC 2 years Died after 6 weeks [129]
Submandibular Eyes 51 AdCC 2 years Alive [130]
Submandibular Eye 50 AdCC 5 years Died after 4 months [131]
Submandibular Liver 51 AdCC 2 years Alive [132]
Submandibular Liver 52 AdCC 30 years Alive [133]
Submandibular Ovary 30 AdCC 10 years Alive [134]
Submandibular Lung, choroid 43 AdCC 5 years Alive [135]
Submandibular Larynx 46 AdCC 9 years Alive [136]
Submandibular Spine 54 AdCC 17 years Alive [137]
Submandibular Breast 67 AdCC 5 years Died after a few months [138]
Submandibular Toe 62 AdCC 8 years Alive [139]
Submandibular Skin 57 MPA 3 months Alive [140]
Submandibular Vertebra 35 MPA 11 years Alive [21]
Submandibular Lung, sternum 40 MPA 7 years Alive [141]
Submandibular Breast 64 SDC 3 years Alive [142]
Submandibular Bone marrow 33 PDC 3 years Alive [143]
Submandibular Vertebra, lung 39 PDC 4 months Alive [144]
Submandibular Brain, vertebra 60 NOS 41 months Alive [119]
Submandibular Skin 68 MyCa 5 years Died after 1 year [145]
Submandibular Eyes 52 MEC 6 years Died after 5 months [146]
Sublingual Lung 66 AdCC No data Alive [147]
  • Abbreviations: ACC, acinic cell carcinoma; AdCC, adenoid cystic carcinoma; BCA, basal cell adenocarcinoma; CaXPA, carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma; EMC, epithelial- myoepithelial carcinoma; LN, lymph node; MEC, mucoepidermoid carcinoma; MPA, metastasizing pleomorphic adenoma; MyCa, myoepithelial carcinoma; NOS, not otherwise specified; PDC, poorly differentiated carcinoma; SDC, salivary duct carcinoma.

Table 3 summarises statistically significant results based on Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.

TABLE 3. Details of statistically significant results based on Chi-Square Test and Fisher's Exact Test.
Variable 1 Variable 2 p
Gender Age 0.001
Gender Type of tumour 0.012
Gender Time interval 0.015
Age Type of tumour 0.001
Age Time interval 0.001
  • *Denotes statistical significance.

4 Discussion

Distant metastasis is a complex process and a late event in tumour progression. It results from the seeding of circulating tumour cells in certain organs. According to Paget' theory, the distribution of metastatic cells in specific organs is not random, leading to the proposing of the seed and soil theory [148].

Due to the rarity of salivary gland tumours, knowledge about the progression of these tumours is limited [149]. In the present study, similar to a prior study, DM was predominantly found in males (64% vs. 53% in females) [4]. This finding may suggest that men present with more advanced stages of tumours at the time of diagnosis.

In the current analysis, the mean age of the patients was 53 ± 14; however, in a prior study, the mean age of the patients was 61 years (range, 15–88) [4]. Furthermore, it has been established that DM is more common in elderly cancer patients (65 years and older) [150]; nonetheless, in the current series, only 29 patients were older than 65 years (19.5%). Notably, 32 patients (21.6%) were 40 years old or younger. A previous investigation showed that DM is not correlated with gender and age but is related to the tumour site [9]. However, the current study demonstrated a relationship between gender and age with other studied variables (see Table 3).

In the present series, the parotid was the most common salivary gland with DM (70.9%), but a previously published work found the submandibular gland to be the most prevalent salivary gland metastasising to other organs (42%). The metastatic route of parotid tumours is unclear, but it is suggested that the maxillary artery, which travels through the parotid gland, may serve as a vascular spread route [114]. A prior study on 103 cases of parotid tumours found DM in 24% of cases, primarily in the lungs (68%), followed by the bones (24%) [15]. However, the current series indicated metastases to the bones and lungs in 20.9% and 16.9% of cases, respectively. It is generally accepted that the lungs and bones are the two most common sites for distant metastasis [16]. A very recent systematic review found 19 cases of spinal metastasis with a mean age of 54 years. The most common histopathological subtypes were ACC, followed by AdCC [151]. The current study identified 10 cases of spinal metastasis with a mean age of 53.6 (range, 35–71). The most common salivary gland tumour with spinal metastasis was AdCC with 4 cases. Spinal metastasis from ACC was reported in one case.

Metastasis is not a random process; before the spread of cancer cells, a premetastatic niche, a supportive environment, must be established. For example, VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1)-positive BM-derived haematopoietic progenitor cells accumulate in the premetastatic tissue before the arrival of cancer cells [152].

Rarely, head and neck cancer spreads via blood vessels. Therefore, cervical lymph node metastasis is expected to be the most common event [2]; nevertheless, the present case series found that metastasis to the cervical lymph nodes occurred in 3.4% of patients. A prior systematic analysis on cervical lymph node metastases from AdCC identified only 4 studies showing cervical lymph node metastasis in 17% of patients. Additionally, this systematic review found that AdCC from minor salivary glands has a higher rate of cervical lymph node metastasis. The authors concluded that elective neck dissection is not necessary for patients with major salivary gland AdCC [153].

In this investigation, various bones were the most frequent metastatic sites (21%), followed by the lungs (16.9%). These findings are not consistent with a previous study that showed the lungs as the most prevalent metastatic sites, followed by the bones [154].

In the current analysis, the most common histotype with DM was AdCC with 40 cases (27%), followed by MPA with 31 cases (20.1%). Additionally, AdCC was the most common histological tumour type metastasising to various tissues in both genders. The incidence of DM from AdCC varies between 5% and 54.9%, and the lungs, bones, liver, and brain are the most common sites for metastases. AdCC accounts for approximately 10% of salivary gland neoplasms and affects both the parotid and submandibular glands [155]. In this review, AdCCs metastasised mainly from submandibular glands, not the parotids (47% vs. 45%). It has been suggested that submandibular AdCCs have a greater ability to induce tumour angiogenesis [156]. Furthermore, it has been documented that the myoepithelial cells in submandibular AdCC have a higher rate of proliferation and are less differentiated than those in the parotid AdCC. These findings may explain the increased aggression of the submandibular AdCC [157]. Notably, AdCC has the ability to invade adjacent structures as well as to demonstrate DM. In addition, a unique characteristic of AdCC that differentiates it from other salivary tumours is perineural invasion [157].

In the present analysis, there were 31 cases (21%) of DM from MPA with 18 cases in females (12.1%). Among these, 26 cases (17.6%) were from parotid tumours. Moreover, in 9 cases (6%) DM from MPA occurred in the lungs, and in 6 cases (4%), it occurred in various bones. There are several reports of locally aggressive pleomorphic adenomas that metastasised to regional lymph nodes and exhibited DM, despite their benign histologic appearance. PA may undergo malignant transformation in 2% to 9% of cases, whether a long-standing primary tumour or a recurrent tumour. It is suggested that the proliferation of myoepithelial cells may alter the tumour's nature [20]. It is unclear how a benign tumour such as PA metastasises to other organs. Perhaps the most accepted hypothesis is the accumulation of key genetic alterations that cause histological and biological changes. For example, the cumulative loss of chromosomal loci at 3p, 9p, and 17p has been observed in MPAs [85]. Additionally, it has been proposed that prior radiation of the primary tumour or surgical manipulation allows tumour cells to enter blood vessels [141]. These findings suggest that cases histologically diagnosed as AdCC or MPA are the most significant candidates for further follow-up.

5 Conclusion

Adenoid cystic carcinoma and metastasising pleomorphic adenoma are highly aggressive major salivary gland tumours characterised by rapid growth and distant metastasis. Although distant metastasis from major salivary gland tumours is uncommon, it signifies a poor prognosis, with death occurring within months of detection. Therefore, greater attention should be paid to major salivary gland tumours. Understanding the clinical history and histopathologic characteristics of salivary metastatic tumours is critical for achieving an accurate diagnosis, which is essential for appropriate patient management.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Hamadan University of Medical Sciences for continued support. Open access publishing facilitated by Griffith University, as part of the Wiley - Griffith University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.

    Conflicts of Interest

    The author declares no conflicts of interest.

    Data Availability Statement

    The author has nothing to report.

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