Differentiation between benign and malignant palatal tumors using conventional MRI: a retrospective analysis of 130 cases

Publication date: Available online 31 January 2018
Source:Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology
Author(s): Yingyan Zheng, Zebin Xiao, Hua Zhang, Dejun She, Xuehua Lin, Yu Lin, Dairong Cao
ObjectivesTo evaluate the discriminative value of conventional maganetic resonance imaging (MRI) between benign and malignant palatal tumors.Study DesignConventional MR imaging features of 130 patients with palatal tumors confirmed by histopathology were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical data and imaging findings were assessed between benign and malignant tumors and between benign and low-grade malignant salivary gland tumors. The variables that were significant in differentiating benign from malignant lesions were further identified using logistic regression analysis. Moreover, imaging features of each common palatal histologic entity were statistically analyzed with the rest of the tumors to define their typical imaging features.ResultsOlder age, partially-defined and ill-defined margins, and absence of a capsule were highly suggestive of malignant palatal tumors, especially ill-defined margins (β = 6.400). The precision in determining malignant palatal tumors achieved a sensitivity of 92.8% and a specificity of 85.6%. In addition, irregular shape, ill-defined margins, lack of a capsule, perineural spread, and invasion of surrounding structures were more frequently associated with low-grade malignant salivary gland tumors.ConclusionConventional MRI is useful for differentiating benign from malignant palatal tumors as well as benign salivary gland tumors from low-grade salivary gland malignancies.



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