Minor salivary gland tumors of the lip and buccal mucosa.

Between 1944 and 1985, 50 patients with minor salivary gland tumors of the lip and buccal mucosa were treated at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: 19 with lip and 31 with buccal mucosa tumors. The male-to-female ratios were 2.8:1 for lip and 1:2.9 for the buccal mucosa tumors. Patient age at presentation ranged from 18 to 98 years with a median of 55 years. Treatment consisted of surgery alone for 28 patients, radiotherapy in 9 patients, and combined therapy for 13. Adenoid cystic carcinoma was the predominant histologic type, accounting for 21 (42%) tumors. Risk for recurrence was influenced by histology, the presence of perineural invasion, and the location of the primary tumor. Six patients developed recurrent disease; all six had adenoid cystic carcinoma. The therapeutic approach and the rationale for combined treatment of these neoplasms are discussed.