Pingzhong Wang1, Jie Yang2,3, Qiang Yu1. 1. 1 Department of Radiology, Ninth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. 2. 2 Division of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology, Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 3. 3 Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To depict the CT and MRI characteristics of salivary gland lymphoepithelial carcinoma (LEC) and provide more diagnostic information for this malignancy. METHODS: 103 salivary gland LEC subjects were retrospectively reviewed. The subjects include 35 males with a mean age of 40.8 years and 68 females with a mean age of 49.4 years. Of the 103 subjects, 86 had carcinomas in the parotid gland, 5 in the submandibular gland, 1 in the sublingual gland, 3 in the cheek and 8 in the palate. All subjects underwent routine CT and MRI (plain and contrast-enhanced scans) prior to surgical treatment and histopathological examination. RESULTS: Based on the pathological outcomes, all the salivary gland LECs were classified into two types from CT and MRI scans: solitary LEC (56 cases, 54.4%) and multiple LEC (47 cases, 45.6%). The latter included solitary salivary gland LEC with extraglandular lymph-node metastases (12 cases), parotid gland LEC with ipsilateral intraglandular lymph-node metastases (11 cases), parotid gland LEC with ipsilateral intra- and extraglandular lymph-node metastases (23 cases) and bilateral parotid gland LEC (1 case). The salivary gland LEC was depicted on CT and MRI scans as a lobular mass in 64 of 104 (61.5%), homogeneous mass in 65 of 104 (62.5%) or enhanced neoplasm in 94 of 104 (90.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Salivary gland LEC has a predilection for females in the fourth to fifth decade of life and the parotid gland. CT and MRI findings between solitary and multiple salivary LECs vary. A majority of multiple parotid gland LECs are characterized by metastasis of ipsilateral intraglandular lymph nodes, which may accompany with or without extraglandular lymph-node metastases.
OBJECTIVES: To depict the CT and MRI characteristics of salivary gland lymphoepithelial carcinoma (LEC) and provide more diagnostic information for this malignancy. METHODS: 103 salivary gland LEC subjects were retrospectively reviewed. The subjects include 35 males with a mean age of 40.8 years and 68 females with a mean age of 49.4 years. Of the 103 subjects, 86 had carcinomas in the parotid gland, 5 in the submandibular gland, 1 in the sublingual gland, 3 in the cheek and 8 in the palate. All subjects underwent routine CT and MRI (plain and contrast-enhanced scans) prior to surgical treatment and histopathological examination. RESULTS: Based on the pathological outcomes, all the salivary gland LECs were classified into two types from CT and MRI scans: solitary LEC (56 cases, 54.4%) and multiple LEC (47 cases, 45.6%). The latter included solitary salivary gland LEC with extraglandular lymph-node metastases (12 cases), parotid gland LEC with ipsilateral intraglandular lymph-node metastases (11 cases), parotid gland LEC with ipsilateral intra- and extraglandular lymph-node metastases (23 cases) and bilateral parotid gland LEC (1 case). The salivary gland LEC was depicted on CT and MRI scans as a lobular mass in 64 of 104 (61.5%), homogeneous mass in 65 of 104 (62.5%) or enhanced neoplasm in 94 of 104 (90.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Salivary gland LEC has a predilection for females in the fourth to fifth decade of life and the parotid gland. CT and MRI findings between solitary and multiple salivary LECs vary. A majority of multiple parotid gland LECs are characterized by metastasis of ipsilateral intraglandular lymph nodes, which may accompany with or without extraglandular lymph-node metastases.
Entities:
Keywords:
computed tomography; lymphoepithelial carcinoma; magnetic resonance imaging; salivary gland