AccScience Publishing / CP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/CP025480086
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Distribution and frequency of parotid gland tumors in the Anhui province: A retrospective multicenter study of 758 cases

Wenjie Zhang1 Meng Luo2 Xinghong Yin1,2*
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1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Fuyang People’s Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Fuyang, Anhui, China
2 Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Fuyang People’s Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Fuyang, Anhui, China
Received: 30 November 2025 | Revised: 7 February 2026 | Accepted: 13 February 2026 | Published online: 24 April 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Parotid gland tumors are rare, exhibit complex histopathology, and often lack early clinical symptoms. Epidemiological and pathological features of parotid gland tumors in Anhui province, China, have not yet been reported. This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the distribution and histopathological characteristics of parotid gland tumors in Anhui province. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data from 758 patients with parotid gland tumors admitted to three centers from January 2018 to January 2022. All diagnoses were unequivocally confirmed by histopathological examination. Pleomorphic adenoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma were the most prevalent tumors. Benign and malignant tumors were detected in six hundred forty-one and one hundred seventeen patients, respectively, with a benign-to-malignant ratio of 5.48:1. A slight female predilection (51.8%) was observed. The highest incidence occurred in the 51–60 years age group. Warthin tumor was the second most prevalent benign tumor, showing a significant male predilection. The distribution and frequency of most parotid gland neoplasms in Anhui province were similar to global reports, confirming the well-known male predilection for Warthin tumor. This multicenter study provides an epidemiological baseline for better characterizing these tumors in this region.

Keywords
Parotid gland tumors
Multicenter study
Epidemiology
Histopathology
China
Funding
This study is supported by Fuyang Municipal Science and Technology Bureau 2024 Annual Project (grant no.: FYHR2024-016).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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