Frequency and imaging features of the adjacent osseous changes of salivary gland carcinomas in the head and neck region

The association between salivary gland carcinomas and adjacent osseous changes in the head and neck region is not clear. We evaluated the frequency and imaging features of such changes and investigated the specific characteristics of salivary gland carcinomas associated with them. A total of 118 patients with histologically proven salivary gland carcinomas were retrospectively reviewed. The imaging characteristics of osseous changes were sorted into three categories based on computed tomography images: sclerotic change, erosive change, and lytic change. The frequency of all these osseous changes and any one of them was compared between different pathologies using Fisher's exact test. Odds ratios were calculated to evaluate the association between these changes and perineural spread. Osseous changes were found in 21 (18%) of 118 cases. Among these, seven (6%) cases were with sclerotic, nine (8%) with erosive, and nine (8%) with lytic changes (four with mixed change). Adenoid cystic carcinoma showed a significantly higher frequency of sclerotic and erosive changes, and either osseous change, than the other salivary gland carcinomas (p < 0.001 for each). Sclerotic changes were only present in the adenoid cystic carcinomas. Perineural spread was a significant factor in showing higher osseous change frequencies (odds ratio = 3.98, p = 0.006). Among salivary gland carcinomas in the head and neck region, adenoid cystic carcinomas had a significantly higher frequency of adjacent osseous changes, especially sclerotic changes, than other salivary gland carcinomas.