Upper lip Pleomorphic adenoma: Comparison of reported cases from 1990-2011 and literature review

Abstract

Objectives: Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) of the upper lip is a rare entity and its diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review of PA of the upper lip in the reported cases.
Methods: This study was performed on the basis of the clinical records of 10well documented reported cases of the upper lip pleomorphic adenomas from 1990-2011 which were indexed in PubMed. In the clinical records the following data have been considered: Age, sex, clinical view, complaint time, site, size, texture, pathological view, treatment, recurrence rate, symptom and follow-up period.
Results: Of the 10 reported cases of PA, 7 (70%) were female and 3 (30%) were male, with age ranging from 12 to 65 years. 50% of the patients were between 35 and 55 years old. Only 3 (30%) of cases were younger than 20 years old. The main clinical presentation of lesion in all cases was a submucosal nodule. There was a large interval between the first symptoms and diagnosis. The size of the lesions ranged from 1-3 cm. Involvement of the right half of the upper lip was more common than the left side. 70% of lesions had firm consistency and bone formation was seen in one (10%) case. The follow up periods ranged from 5 – 48 months. There was no evidence of recurrence in all reported cases.
Conclusion: Although rare, pleomorphic adenoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis of swellings in the upper lip.

Key words: Pleomorphic adenoma; upper lip; case report; nodule