Primary Neoplasms of the Salivary Glands in Animals Compared to Similar Tumors in Man

Abstract

Thirty primary salivary tumors of animals (22 in dogs, 4 in horses, 2 in cats, 1 in a baboon and 1 in a guinea pig) were classified according to their histologic and biological characteristics and compared with their counterparts in man. According to criteria used in this report, 3 were classified as mucoepidermoid tumors (1 benign and 2 malignant), 1 as a squamous carcinoma, 5 as benign mixed tumors, 1 as a malignant mixed tumor, 12 as acinic cell tumors, 2 as ductular, 3 as trabecular, 2 as anaplastic adenocarcinomas and 1 as a malignant melanoma. The parotid gland was the site of the neoplasm in 16 cases, the mandibular gland in 5, the sublingual gland in 2 and minor salivary glands in the remaining 7. Except for the difference in proportional incidence of the various types of salivary neoplasms in animals as compared to man, they are similar in their morphological pattern and in their biological behavior.