What is the Difference Between Pleomorphic Adenoma and Warthin Tumor

The key difference between pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin tumor is that pleomorphic adenoma is a benign salivary gland tumor that can occur in parotid, submandibular, lingual/ minor salivary glands, while Warthin tumor is a benign salivary gland tumor that predominantly occurs in the parotid salivary gland.

Salivary gland tumors are abnormal cell growths in the ducts that drain the salivary glands. Tumors normally cause a firm, painless swelling in one of the salivary glands. These tumors include pleomorphic adenoma, Warthin tumor, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, carcinoma ex-pleomorphic, and metastasis from other cancers. Pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin tumor are two different types of benign salivary gland tumors.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Pleomorphic Adenoma 
3. What is Warthin Tumor
4. Similarities – Pleomorphic Adenoma and Warthin Tumor
5. Pleomorphic Adenoma vs Warthin Tumor in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Pleomorphic Adenoma vs Warthin Tumor

What is Pleomorphic Adenoma?

Pleomorphic adenoma is the most common benign salivary gland tumor. It can occur in the parotid, submandibular, and lingual/minor salivary glands. Pleomorphic adenoma derives its name from the variable appearance (pleomorphism) seen by light microscopy. The causes of pleomorphic adenoma may include smoking habits, alcohol abuse, a diet rich in cholesterol, and previous radiation therapy treatments in the face and neck regions. The signs and symptoms of the pleomorphic adenoma may include alteration of the skin profile, VII cranial nerve neuralgia, hearing problems or impairments, masticatory impairment, swallowing difficulties and disorders, and paresis. Moreover, pleomorphic adenoma can be diagnosed through physical and clinical examination, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT scan), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), biopsy, and needle aspiration.

Furthermore, treatment options for pleomorphic adenoma always involve the complete removal of the mass of tumor cells in order to avoid recurrence and preserve the anatomical structure. Therefore, the treatment options for pleomorphic adenoma mainly include surgery removals of pleomorphic adenoma. For surgically non-resectable tumors, radiation therapy can be used as effective adjuvant therapy.

What is Warthin Tumor?

Warthin tumor is a benign salivary gland tumor that predominantly occurs in the parotid salivary gland. It is a benign tumor of the salivary glands. This tumor normally contains an abundance of lymphocytes and germinal centers. Warthin tumor is named after the pathologist (Aldred Scott Warthin), who first described it in 1920. The signs and symptoms of Warthin tumor may include swollen salivary gland, a lump near the back of the lower jaw, jaw pain, a sensation of pressure, paralysis in facial nerves, tinnitus, impaired hearing, aches in the ear, drooping or weakness in muscles, problems in swallowing, tearing in one eye, problems when closing an eye, blood present in saliva, and changes in the voice.

Moreover, Warthin tumor can be diagnosed through physical examination and examining the tumor tissue under a microscope (histological appearance). Furthermore, treatment options for Warthin tumor may include surgical removal of tumor tissue, which is called parotidectomy.

What are the Similarities Between Pleomorphic Adenoma and Warthin Tumor?

• Pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin tumor are two different types of benign salivary gland tumors.
• Both tumor types can be identified in the parotid salivary gland.
• They can show similar symptoms, such as swelling of the salivary gland, difficulties in swallowing, hearing problems, etc.
• These tumor types can be diagnosed through examination of the histological appearance of tumor tissue.
• They are mainly treated through surgical removal of tumor tissue.

What is the Difference Between Pleomorphic Adenoma and Warthin Tumor?

Pleomorphic adenoma is a benign salivary gland tumor that can occur in parotid, submandibular, lingual/ minor salivary glands, while Warthin tumor is a benign salivary gland tumor that predominantly occurs in the parotid salivary gland. Thus, this is the key difference between pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin tumor. Furthermore, pleomorphic adenoma is the most common type of salivary gland tumor, while Warthin tumor is a less common type of salivary gland tumor.

The below infographic presents the differences between pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin tumor in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Pleomorphic Adenoma vs Warthin Tumor

Salivary gland tumors occur in the ducts that drain the salivary glands. Pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin tumor are two different types of benign salivary gland tumors. Pleomorphic adenoma can occur in the parotid, submandibular, and lingual/ minor salivary glands. Warthin tumor predominantly occurs in the parotid salivary gland. Moreover, pleomorphic adenomas are mostly lobulated in shape, while Warthin tumors are oval-shaped. So, this is the summary of the difference between pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin tumor.

Reference:

1. “Pleomorphic Adenomas: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.” Ffondazione CNAO.
2. “Warthin’s Tumor.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Pleomorphic adenoma (1) parotid gland” (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Cytopathology of Warthin’s tumor” By Mikael Häggström – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia