Salivary glands

Question 1

xerostomia

Answer 1

dry mouth… no saliva

• sjogren’s syndrome, with dry eyes
• difficulty in swallowing and speaking

Question 2

Sialadenitis

Answer 2

Inflammation of the salivary gland

• mucoceles are the most common type
• if viral= mumps …. parotid glands
• autoimmunity in sjogren syndrome

Question 3

Mucocele

Answer 3

most common lesion of the salivary galnds

• results from blockage or rupture of a gland duct, with leakage of saliva inot surrounding ct stroms
• LOWER LIP
• result of trauma
• blue translucent hue
• changes in size… with meals
• cystic spaces are filled with mucin and macrophages

Question 4

sialolithiasis

Answer 4

ductal obstruction caused by stones

• S. Aureus and S. Viridans
• from decreased salivary secretions caused by dehydration
• elderly, hx of thoracoabdominal surgery
• unilateral involvement of a single gland is the rule

Question 5

pleomorphic adenoma

Answer 5

most common benign tumor here

• mixture of ductal and myoepithelial cells
• chromosomal rearrangements involving PLAG1
• rounded, well-demarcated masses
• great heterogeneity
• painless
• carcinoma arising in this is carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (malignant mixed tumor)…… this thing is super aggressive so watch out

Question 6

warthin tumor

Answer 6

exclusively in parotid gland

• males
• double layer of neoplastic epithelial cells resting on a dense lymphoid stroma
• double layer is distinctive
• numerous mitochondria gives upper layer its granular appearance
• it’s benign!!! so don’t freak out if we find this in a cervical lymph node…just resect it

Question 7

mucoepidermoid carcinoma

Answer 7

occur mainly in the parotids
-11,19 translocation gives us the MECT1-MAML2 fusion gene
-most common form of primary malignant tumor of the salivary glands
pale and gay-white on transection
-mucus filled vacuoles when highlited with mucin stains

Question 8

adenoid cystic carcinoma

Answer 8

• relatively uncommon
• gray-pink lesions
• small cells, dark compact nuclei and scant cytoplasm
• adnexa of the skin
• hyaline material between the tumor cells
• stubbornly recurrent
• smaller the gland, worse the prognosis
• perineural invasion by tumor cells

Question 9

acinic cell carcinoma

Answer 9

looks like serous acinar cells of salivary glands

• clear cytoplasm
• parotids
• few mitoses
• like warthin tumor, it is sometimes bilateral or multicentric

Question 10

What is a ranula?

Answer 10

epithelial lined cysts that arise when the duct of the sublingual gland has been damaged