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Aims. Salivary gland tumors (SGTs) are a rare and diverse group of tumors that account for 3 to 10% of all head and neck malignancies. We aimed to conduct a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of SGTs in the south of Iran and compare the findings with previous reports from Iran and other parts of the world. Methods. Using a retrospective study, 405 patients diagnosed with SGTs were observed over an eight-year period between April 2013 and October 2021 in Shiraz, Iran. Patients' demographic and clinicopathological features were obtained from patients' records. Quantitative and descriptive data analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results. There were 302 benign (74.5%) and 103 (25.4%) malignant SGTs. Pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin's tumors were the most common benign SGTs (70.5% and 21.5%, respectively). The most common malignant SGTs were mucoepidermoid carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma (26.2% and 22.3%, respectively). There was a statistically significant association between tumor origin and its malignancy status (p < 0.001). In addition, the results indicated that benign tumors were most commonly detected in the parotid gland (p < 0.05). The benign tumors were more frequently observed among the younger population (p = 0.006). Conclusion. In summary, the findings of the current study were mainly consistent with the previous reports from Iran and the rest of the world. Benign tumors were the most prevalent type of SGTs, and the parotid gland was the most common site. While the majority of cases that developed from the major salivary glands were benign, all the minor SGTs were malignant. Older patients were more likely to develop malignant tumors compared to younger ones. This study provides insights into the prevalence, age-related incidence, gender distribution, and geographic variation of salivary gland tumors. This can be instrumental to develop a guideline for screening, diagnosis, and determining an optimal treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public awareness on oral cancer is thought to improve prevention and early diagnosis; however, the role of socioeconomic status in this awareness is not clear., Aims: The aim was to investigate whether an association exists between socioeconomic status and oral cancer awareness in adults., Methods: A multi-stage random sample of adults was investigated in Tehran in 2016-2017. The outcome was awareness of oral cancer and knowledge of risk factors and signs and symptoms using a self-administered questionnaire. The main exposures were self-reported socioeconomic status of 8 indicators of family assets and economic situation. Wealth index was created using principal component analysis, and participants were classified into 5 quintiles. Regression analysis was applied to test associations., Results: Out of 1800 adults, 1312 completed questionnaires were returned (72.8% response rate). The mean age was 37.8 (standard deviation 9.0) years; about 60% were female. Statistical analysis revealed the higher the wealth index, the higher the score for oral cancer knowledge and awareness. Awareness and knowledge were significantly lower among participants in the poorest quintile: they had a knowledge score on oral cancer risk factors 1.58 points [95% confidence interval (CI): -2.19;-0.96] lower, and a knowledge score on oral cancer signs 1.34 points (95 CI: -1.98;-0.72) lower compared with the richest quintile., Conclusion: Socioeconomic inequalities were observed in oral cancer awareness in the Islamic Republic of Iran., (Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2020. Open Access. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)

Oral cancer is a life-threatening disease with low survival rates, especially when diagnosed in an advanced stage. Lack of awareness about this cancer among the population is proposed as a possible reason for this diagnostic delay. The aim of this study was to evaluate oral cancer awareness, as well as the association of this with sociodemographic status in Tehran. In this cross-sectional population-based survey, 1800 self-administered questionnaires (collecting sociodemographic data, questions regarding oral cancer awareness and the source of information) were distributed through multistage stratified random sampling. Scores for questions ranged from 0 to 4, and totals were summed. The outcome of question responses was also analyzed separately. In total, 1312 questionnaires were available for analysis, from 788 females and 489 males (37.8 ± 9.02 years). Only 30% of the respondents were aware of oral cancer. The average score for awareness was 1.09 ± 1.6 with no significant differences between age groups and genders. Almost 6.5% of participants had complete awareness about oral cancer. A significant difference was found between mean scores in different levels of education and occupation (p = 0.0001). From 585 responses to the "source of information" question, "public media" was the most important source (almost 50%). Only 2% mentioned "dentists" as a source of information. This study indicated an alarming lack of oral cancer awareness and literacy in Tehran, Iran. Dentists should be obliged to practice their pivotal role in informing the public about oral cancer.

Knowledge about oral cancer risk factors and signs is thought to improve prevention and early diagnosis, and in turn, increases survival. In this population-based survey, knowledge about oral cancer was assessed in Iran. A total of 1800 self-administered questionnaires (collecting sociodemographic data and questions regarding oral cancer risk factors and signs) were distributed through random sampling. Final scores ranged between 0 and 15 for the risk factors and 0-11 for the signs. Scores below the median indicated a low level of knowledge, scores representing the third quartile of correct answers indicated a moderate level of knowledge, and scores representing the upper quartile indicated a high level of knowledge. Statistical tests were used for analysis of knowledge level in different sociodemographic categories. A total of 1312 participants completed the questionnaires. The average of knowledge scores for risk factors was 5.3 ± 3.0 and for signs was 4.5 ± 2.9. Overall, 75 and 56% respectively were able to identify major risk factors (smoking and alcohol); 23.5% could not define any related signs and symptoms. Dividing scores into quartiles indicated that three out of four people had "low" knowledge about risk factors and 58% had "low" knowledge about signs and symptoms. Females and highly educated people had more knowledge of oral cancer. Significant difference was found between job and level of knowledge (P = 0.001). This survey revealed that public knowledge of oral cancer was not satisfactory in Iran. Efforts should be done to inform and educate people with risk factors, initial clinical presentation, and symptoms, in order to improve prevention and promote early diagnosis.