A retrospective study of benign epithelial salivary gland neoplasia in 11 dogs and 5 cats

Abstract

Benign salivary gland neoplasms are infrequent in dogs and cats. The available literature is scarce, relying on scattered case series and case reports. The histologic subclassification of these neoplasms in humans is correlated with tumor outcome and is used as a template for the veterinary species. To better describe the clinical and histologic features of these benign epithelial tumors in dogs and cats, we performed a retrospective multi-institutional study and retrieved 16 benign epithelial salivary neoplasms from 11 dogs and 5 cats. In dogs, the sex distribution was 7 castrated males, 3 spayed females, and 1 intact female. The average age at diagnosis was 10.4 y (range: 4–15 y; ±3.0 SD). The diagnoses were canalicular adenoma (5 cases), pleomorphic adenoma (3 cases), cystadenoma (2 cases), and basal cell adenoma (1 case). In cats, the sex distribution was 4 spayed females and 1 castrated male. The average age at diagnosis was 11 y (range: 7–18 y; ±4.6 SD). Diagnoses were canalicular adenoma (4 cases) and cystadenoma (1 case). The diagnostic pathologist should be familiar with the current veterinary and human nomenclature of these neoplasms to make an accurate diagnosis.