Major salivary gland carcinoma in KSA: A 10-year nationwide retrospective study of 571 cases

Objectives: Major salivary gland carcinoma (MSGC) comprises a morphologically diverse group of rare tu-mours with different clinical behaviours, and epidemi-ology findings in the literature substantially vary by geographic location. The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the incidence rates, anatomical sites, and histological subtypes of different salivary gland malignancies in the population of KSA.Methods: This retrospective cohort study included pa-tients diagnosed with MSGC in KSA from 2008 to 2017, on the basis of the demographic characteristics and his-tological data retrieved from the Saudi Cancer Registry database. Malignant lesions were identified according to the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Third Edition (ICD-O-3) codes.Results: Salivary gland malignancies were diagnosed in 571 patients (50.10% males and 49.90% females) over the course of 10 years. The parotid gland was the site of origin in 69.9% of cases. The most common histological type was mucoepidermoid carcinoma (29.1%). Over a decade, the incidence rate ranged from (0.15-0.24) per 100,000 inhabitants. The peak incidence of salivary gland malignancies was observed in the fourth, fifth, and sixth decades of life (17.5%, 18.2%, and 16.8%, respectively).Conclusion: Compared with that in other parts of the world, the incidence of MSGC is significantly lower in KSA, with 0.15-0.24 cases per 100,000 people each year. How-ever, the clinical manifestations of carcinoma of the salivary glands in KSA are similar to those described worldwide.