bubble_chart Overview

Oxyphilic adenoma, also known as oncocytoma, is a rare benign tumor of the salivary glands. The histogenesis of oxyphilic adenoma is not yet fully understood and may originate from ductal epithelium or ductal myoepithelial cells.

bubble_chart Pathological Changes

1. Gross morphology: The tumor is generally round or oval in shape, with a smooth surface, and occasionally nodular, with a membrane that is relatively intact. The cut surface is brown, without cystic changes, hemorrhage, or mucoid areas.

2. Microscopic examination: The tumor cells are large in size, with clear boundaries, round or polygonal in shape, and the cytoplasm is granular and eosinophilic. The nucleus is round or oval, deeply stained, and may even be pyknotic. Nucleoli are visible, but mitotic figures are very rare. Ultrastructural studies have revealed that these eosinophilic cells are filled with enlarged and deformed mitochondria. The cells are arranged in solid trabeculae or clusters, sometimes in a glandular lobular pattern, but do not form glandular lumens. Between the tumor cell clusters, there is fibrous connective tissue stroma, which divides the epithelial masses into lobules. The stroma lacks lymphoid tissue, or occasionally contains a small number of lymphocytes, but generally does not form lymphoid follicles.

3. Biological characteristics: Eosinophilic adenoma is a benign tumor, with a small size and slow growth. It does not recur after complete excision and rarely undergoes malignant transformation.

bubble_chart Clinical Manifestations

Eosinophilic adenoma primarily occurs in the parotid gland, accounting for less than 1% of parotid gland tumors, and is mostly unilateral, although individual cases may also occur bilaterally. It can sometimes also be found in the submandibular gland, palatal gland, buccal gland, etc. It commonly occurs in elderly women, with the age of onset mostly over 50 years, and 80% of cases occur between the ages of 50 and 60.

Eosinophilic adenoma presents as a benign tumor clinically, with the tumor generally being small in size, usually not exceeding 5 cm in diameter, and growing slowly, with patients experiencing no discomfort. The tumor is round or oval, mobile, soft in texture, and not adherent to the skin.

The mitochondrial oxidase system of eosinophilic cells in the salivary glands has an affinity for 99mTc, which can cause eosinophilic adenoma to show a "hot" nodule in 99mTc isotope scanning.

bubble_chart Treatment Measures

The treatment method is surgical resection, and some normal salivary gland tissue surrounding the tumor should also be removed.