Imaging modalities are frequently used to assess SGTs before surgery. The exact location, size, extent, number (single or multiple), and architectural features (cystic, solid, and margins) of the masses can be assessed. MRI is the preferred modality for patients with SGTs9. However, the high cost, long appointment time, contraindications to magnetic field exposure, and relatively long scan times (which may increase the likelihood of motion or necessitate the use of sedation in claustrophobic patients), hamper the use of MRI. For superficial tumors within the parotid or submandibular glands, US is the preferred initial imaging technique. Use of US can provide excellent tissue characterization, multiplanar information, and vascular pattern10. Reports on the US performance of SGTs have mainly focused on the shape, margin, echogenicity, echotexture, posterior echo, and blood flow. However, the sensitivity is low5, possibly because low-grade M-SGTs may exhibit US characteristics of benign tumors11,12. Herein, we aimed to identify new features to improve the diagnostic efficiency of US.
Cystic components have been reported as common imaging features of SGTs, such as WTs6, basal cell adenomas7, cystadenoma13, mucoepidermoid carcinomas14, acinic cell carcinomas, and mammary analog secretory carcinoma15. The proportion of cystic components in B-SGTs can reach 79%8. US is a quick method to differentiate solid from cystic lesions in the superficial areas of the head and neck10. The 4th World Health Organization classification issued in 2017 defines 11 different types of benign epithelial salivary tumors and 22 carcinomas. In the present study, we retrospectively found that 18 types of epithelial SGTs underwent preoperative US between January 2015 and January 2018. Of these, 14 types of SGTs had cystic components (five B-SGTs and nine M-SGTs). Among them, WT was the most common type.
Given the prevalence of cystic components in SGTs, we summarized the US performance of cystic components of B-SGTs and M-SGTs and clarified whether they could provide effective information for the differential diagnosis of the two. We found that the proportion of cystic components differed in SGTs of different pathological types. The US features of the B-SGTs and M-SGTs were significantly different. The cystic components in M-SGTs had a higher probability of displaying ill-defined, eccentric, and no internal features than B-SGTs. Despite the low sensitivity of cystic components as the sole means of diagnosing M-SGT, these components remain potential indicators for differential diagnosis. When combined with US features of the lesion, including border and shape, the diagnostic efficiency can be significantly improved.
Most studies on the imaging findings of SGTs only determined the presence or absence of cystic components within the lesions. Studies of the imaging features of cystic components are rare. It has been reported that cystic components of PAs and WTs can be classified into various patterns on US16. More importantly, imaging manifestations of cystic components in benign and malignant tumors differ. Irregular margins of cystic components are more frequently observed in M-SGTs than in B-SGTs8. This is consistent with the present observation of the significantly higher proportion of ill-defined borders in M-SGTs than in B-SGTs, and the association of the presence of these borders as a risk factor for M-SGTs. However, in terms of distribution, M-SGTs appeared to have the highest proportion of eccentric distribution. The central distribution was not unique to M-SGTs, in contrast to an earlier study8. This may reflect the different grouping criteria used in the two studies. The present study divided the distribution into four types, while the distribution of the prior study comprised three groups.
Pathologically, multicystic and papillary growth patterns, cystic changes, necrosis, and hemorrhage in solid SGTs are responsible for the cystic components of tumors17. The imaging differences are thought to result from histological differences. We evaluated the internal characteristics and found a correlation between US and pathological findings. On US, the majority of WTs displayed papillary bulges or spongiform cysts (87.8%), which may be related to the slit-like space and papillary structures protruding into the cystic cavity of WTs on histopathology. For cystadenomas, most lesions displayed features of papillary bulges, which should also correlate with the pathological features of intraluminal papillary proliferation. Notably, marked differences were observed in the internal characteristics of benign and malignant tumors. Most M-SGT lesions showed no internal features. This may be because the cystic components of malignant tumors usually result from necrosis or hemorrhage8,18.
Most (80–85%) parotid gland tumors are benign, and most are PAs and WTs19. These two tumors have different malignant transformation probabilities and treatment methods. Preoperative differential diagnosis is important20. Cystic areas within lesions were reportedly detected in 20.8% of PAs and 45.2% of WTs21. Therefore, because of the predominant incidence of PA and WT in SGTs, we performed a separate analysis of the cystic components and found significant differences. The differences were statistically significant across all assessed features. Thus, cystic components can be definitive indicators for the differential diagnosis between the two.
We further compared the effectiveness of cystic component features in the diagnosis of M-SGTs, including ill-defined margins, eccentric distribution, and absence of internal characteristics. However, their sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing M-SGTs alone are not ideal. Given the important role of lesion margins and shapes in the differentiation of benign and malignant tumors4, we further evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of combining lesion features with cystic component features. The sensitivity significantly increased. Thus, cystic components are potentially valuable in the differential diagnosis of B-SGTs and M-SGTs on US. Comprehensive evaluations of lesions are needed for a definitive conclusion.
The present study clarified the US performance of cystic components in SGTs. The study has two limitations. First, it was a single-center, retrospective study. US features were analyzed based on storage images and were not evaluated in real-time. In real-time US, cystic components may appear as fluttering scattered hyperechoic spots, whereas on still images, they may appear as isoechoic areas that cannot be distinguished from solid components on retrospective analysis. Therefore, our study may have underestimated the proportion of SGTs with cystic degeneration. Second, there was a lack of comparison with other imaging methods such as MRI.