INTRODUCTION Tumors of the salivary glands account for approximately 3 to 4% of all head and neck neoplasms. It is estimated that 10-15% of them are malignant. The most common benign tumor is pleomorphic adenoma, while the most common malignant tumors are adenoid cystic carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Neoplasms of the salivary glands are extremely histologically diverse, which results from the complex embryogenesis of the salivary glands. The identified risk factors for tumors of the salivary glands are: ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation, viral infections, nicotine and alcohol. MATERIAL AND METHOD The aim of the study was an epidemiological analysis of patients with salivary gland neoplasms, the distribution and histopathological characteristics of individual neoplasms treated at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the Medical University of Warsaw in 2010-2020. The diagnoses were analyzed according to the latest WHO 2017 histological classification of salivary gland tumors. In addition, the material was supplemented with data on the 5-year survival rates of patients with malignant neoplasms obtained from the Registry of Marital Status. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The material contained 407 neoplasms of the salivary glands over a 11-year period, of which malignant neoplasms accounted for 17.4%. The malignant tumors were dominated by: adenoid cystic carcinoma (28,2%), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (12,7%), and acinic cell carcinoma (9,9%). Lymphomas (15,5%) were also a large group. The benign neoplasms were dominated by pleomorphic adenoma (54.1%) and Warthin's tumor (36%). Tumors of the salivary gland the most often affected the parotid gland (92%). CONCLUSIONS The obtained data are consistent with the general epidemiological data described in the current literature.
Keywords: Benign salivary gland neoplasm; Epidemiology; Head and neck cancer; Malignant salivary gland neoplasm; Salivary gland.