Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L J Andersen.
Malignant transformation of a benign Warthin's tumour (adenolymphoma) is extremely rare. The light microscopic and ultrastructural features of an adenocarcinoma arising in a Warthin's tumour in the parotid gland are described. Light microscopy demonstrated a transition zone from the benign to the malignant component, and the malignant cells revealed oncocytic features by both light- and electronmicroscopy.
Twenty-six patients with mucosal malignant melanoma of the upper respiratory tract and of the oral cavity were seen at the oncologic departments of eastern Denmark from 1955 to 1989. There were 17 males and nine females with an average age of 65 years. Primary symptoms lasted from one to 24 months and depended on localization of tumor. Five patients had lymph node metastases at the time of diagnosis; one also had distant metastases. Ten patients had surgery as primary treatment, 10 had combined surgery and radiotherapy and six had radiotherapy. Complete remission after primary treatment was seen in 22 cases (85%) and lasted from three to 94 months. Seventeen patients had recurrence, six of these had recurrence twice or three times. The five-year crude survival was 35% and only one patient (4%) lived more than 10 years. Recurrence-free survival among the 22 patients with initially complete response was 14%.
Ninety-five malignant tumors in the submandibular gland, the sublingual gland, and the minor salivary glands seen in a 25-year period were reviewed. The patients were retrospectively staged using the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC) classification. The most frequent tumor was adenoid cystic carcinoma, followed by adenocarcinoma. The submandibular gland was the most frequent location. Five-year and 10-year crude survival rates were 62% and 43%, respectively. Clinical stage was the most important prognostic factor. Survival was not correlated with location of tumor, although recurrence and metastases occurred more frequently in patients with cancer of the submandibular gland. Histologically, the 5-year and 10-year survival was significantly better for patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma compared with the other types; however, although still significant, this difference diminished at 10 years, confirming the need for a long observation time for patients with this tumor.