Salivary Glands

C07-C08WHO Vol. 9

Head & Neck

Prognosis

This section is being prepared by our editorial process.

🔬 Histological Types

📚 Latest Research

2026-09-09

Sclerosing Polycystic Adenoma Masquerading as Malignancy on Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology.

Jayakumar P, et al

A case report published in Diagnostic Cytopathology demonstrates that sclerosing polycystic adenoma (SPA), a rare benign salivary gland neoplasm, can so convincingly mimic malignancy on fine needle aspiration cytology that a 29-year-old male patient received a pre-operative diagnosis of malignant neoplasm — specifically suspected oncocytic mucoepidermoid carcinoma — before total conservative parotidectomy revealed the lesion to be benign SPA with loss of PTEN immunostaining. A systematic review of eight prior published cytology reports of SPA found that not a single case was correctly identified as SPA on cytology, and malignancy was suspected in three of those eight cases. The authors emphasise that SPA may mimic mucoepidermoid, salivary duct, and acinic cell carcinoma cytologically, and that accurate pre-operative recognition of SPA could spare patients from unnecessary procedures such as selective neck dissection.

Diagnostic cytopathology

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2026-09-08

Synchronous bilateral parapharyngeal Warthin tumours without demonstrable parotid continuity: a case report and narrative literature review.

Soviš M, et al

A 59-year-old man undergoing staging for tongue squamous cell carcinoma was found incidentally to harbour synchronous bilateral prestyloid parapharyngeal space Warthin tumours — a rare presentation in which both lesions showed no demonstrable radiological or intraoperative continuity with either parotid gland, consistent with possible origin from heterotopic salivary tissue. Both tumours were asymptomatic and were excised transcervically during the same operation as hemiglossectomy and selective neck dissection; histopathology confirmed fully encapsulated Warthin tumours with adjacent benign serous salivary gland tissue and no residual lymph node architecture. The authors conclude that recognising this bilateral, parotid-independent pattern may improve preoperative assessment of prestyloid parapharyngeal masses and facilitate surgical planning.

Journal of stomatology, oral and maxillofacial surgery

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2026-09-08

Robot-assisted brachytherapy targeting the stylomastoid foramen for parotid adenoid cystic carcinoma with facial nerve involvement: a retrospective study.

Li Z, et al

A retrospective study of 23 patients with parotid adenoid cystic carcinoma involving the facial nerve found that robot-assisted iodine-125 brachytherapy targeting the stylomastoid foramen achieved a mean seed placement error of just 1.46 ± 0.85 mm with intraoperative blood loss of only 2–3 mL, demonstrating high geometric accuracy and minimal invasiveness. At up to 3 years of follow-up, 16 patients showed stable disease, 6 achieved a partial response, and only 1 experienced local progression without intracranial extension, with no new neurological deficits recorded in any patient. The findings suggest this multimodal, image-guided robotic approach offers a safe and precise minimally invasive option for focal irradiation of neural pathways in high-risk parotid cancer patients, though the authors caution that prospective controlled studies are needed to confirm long-term oncological and neurological benefits.

International journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery

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