9. Pathology of the salivary glands

What are the different pathologies of the salivary glands?

- Sialadenitis

- Sialolithiasis

- Tumor-like lesions of the salivary glands

- Tumors of the salivary glands

What is sialadenitis?

Inflammation of a salivary gland

Different types of sialadenitis?

- Bacterial sialadenitis

- Viral sialadenitis

- Autoimmune sialadenitis

- Chronic sclerosing sialadenitis

- Mikulicz syndrome

- Heerfordt syndrome

Which are the bacteria that cause bacterial sialadenitis?

- Staphylococcus aureus

- Streptococcus viridans

- Intestinal bacteria

What are the typical viruses causing viral sialadenitis?

- Paramyxovirus (mumps)

- EBV

- Coxsackie A

- Influenza

- CMV

What is mumps?

Viral infection of salivary glands causing excessive swelling (mostly parotid glands)

What can mumps also cause?

Inflammation of the testis

- infertility

Autoimmune sialadenitis?

Sjögren's syndrome

What is Sjögrens syndrome?

Chronic autoimmune disorder in which antibodies attack the salivary and lacrimal glands

What is chronic sclerosing sialadenitis?

Rare condition which occurs due to long-term inflammations of the salivary glands

- presents as hard, indurated and big masses (clinically impossible to distinguish from salivary neoplasms and tumors)

What is Mikulicz syndrome?

Rare autoimmune disease that leads to bilateral swelling of the salivary and lacrimal glands

- considered benign, but can accompany more severe and aggressive conditions

What is Heerfordt syndrome?

Rare manifestation of sarcoidosis in the salivary glands

- leads to granulomatous parotitis, inflammation of the eyes and fever

What is sialolithiasis?

Salivary gland stones

Tumor-like lesions of the salivary glands?

- Mucocele

- Ranula

What are mucoceles?

Small, painless cyst

-results from a blockage or a rupture of a salivary gland duct, with consequent leakage of saliva into the surrounding CT stroma

What is a ranula?

Mucocele of the submandibular gland

- found in the base of the mouth

Salivary gland tumors?

- Pleomorphic adenoma

- Whartin-tumor

- Mucoepidermoid carcinoma

- Adenoid cystic carcinoma

What is a pleomorphic adenoma?

Most frequent benign tumor of the parotid gland

- slow-growing painless neoplasms with unknown etiology

Potential consequences of pleomorphic adenoma?

May compress the facial nerve and cause palsy

- the close location of the facial nerve also makes removal of the tumor very hard

What is a Whartin-tumor?

Benign cystic tumor of the salivary glands

- contains lymphocytes and germinal centres

What s a mucoepidermoid carcinoma?

Most frequent malignant tumor in the salivary glands

- mixed tumor - squamous cells, mucous-secreting cells and undifferentiated cells

What is an adenoid cystic carcinoma?

Rare, malignant cancer that can be found in all salivary glands

- can also occur in breasts, lacrimal glands, lung and brain as well