Tumor deposits (TDs), identified in different types of carcinomas, are associated with poor prognosis. Salivary gland tumors were evaluated for the first time for TDs and seemed to be related to poor prognosis requiring further evaluation in a larger population. Malignant salivary gland tumors are rare, consisting of only 2% of all head and neck tumors.
It is challenging to evaluate prognostic factors in these tumors due to their morphological diversity and their different origin, including major and minor salivary glands and seromucous glands. Many features of malignant salivary gland tumors and their prognostic implications have been described before; however, there is no information about free TDs. TDs are tumor nodules with regular or irregular contours, located away from the primary tumor mass but within the lymphatic draining area, devoid of the morphological features of a lymph…
