Lymphomas of the salivary glands: a systematic review

Abstract

Background

Lymphomas constitute 2% of all salivary gland tumors and are the second most common group of malignancies in the head and neck region.

Objectives

In this systematic review, the demographics and characteristics of salivary gland lymphomas are presented.

Methods

All types of studies that involve data of salivary gland lymphomas between 1990 and 2020 were identified and screened.

Results

A total of 169 articles with 1640 patients were identified. The median age of the patients was 59 years with a range between 10 and 87 years. The anatomic locations of salivary gland lymphomas were distributed with 88% in the parotid glands, 9% in the submandibular glands, 1% in the minor salivary glands, and 0.3% in the sublingual glands. The overall survival at 12 months is high and in line with the outcome of indolent lymphomas in general. The predominant indolent subtypes were extranodal marginal zone lymphomas and follicular lymphomas, whereas the more aggressive subtypes were mainly diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, mantle cell lymphomas, and T-cell lymphomas.

Conclusion

In conclusion, lymphomas occur in all salivary glands and mainly in elderly female patients. Sjögren’s syndrome is frequently associated. Depending on the anatomical location, the lymphoma subtypes vary in aggressiveness, stage, and prognosis.

Chinese Abstract

背景：淋巴瘤占所有唾液腺肿瘤的 2%, 是头颈部恶性肿瘤中第二最常见的肿瘤。

目的：在本系统研究中, 提出唾液腺淋巴瘤的人口统计学和特征。

方法：鉴别和筛选1990 年至 2020 年间涉及唾液腺淋巴瘤数据的所有类型的研究。

结果：共鉴别出 169 篇文章, 涉及 1640 名患者。 患者的中位年龄为59 年, 范围在 10 到 87 年之间。 唾液腺淋巴瘤的解剖位置分布于腮腺的占88%, 颌下腺的占9%, 小唾液腺的占1%, 舌下腺的0.3%。12 个月总体生存率高, 并且, 一般来说, 与惰性淋巴瘤的结果相同。 主要的惰性亚型是结外边缘区淋巴瘤和滤泡性淋巴瘤, 而更具侵袭性的亚型主要为弥漫性大B细胞淋巴瘤、套细胞淋巴瘤和T细胞淋巴瘤。

结论：综上所述, 淋巴瘤出现于所有唾液腺, 且以老年女性患者为主。干燥综合征经常与之相关。 根据淋巴瘤的解剖位置, 其亚型的侵袭性、发展阶段和预后各不相同。

Keywords:

• Lymphoma
• cancer
• salivary glands
• Sjögren’s syndrome
• autoimmune disease
• Ann Arbor staging
• head and neck

Disclosure statement

All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Region Sjælland [award number R29 A973].