The Epidemiology of Parotid Tumors at the Ear, Nose and Throat Department of Shafa Educational Hospital, Kerman, Iran

Neoplasms of the parotid glands are rare and constitute 3-4% of all head and neck tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of parotid surgeries at the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) department of Shafa Hospital, Kerman, Iran. In a cross-sectional study from March 2006 until March 2011, all patients who had had parotidectomy at Shafa Hospital (n = 47) were included. Their tumor type, pathology, age, gender, type of surgery, and early surgery complications were evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 40.1 years and 20 of them (42.6%) were male. Seven cases (14.9%) had malignant tumors and 37 (78.7%) had benign tumors. Total and subtotal parotidectomy were performed for 21.3% and 78.7% of the patients, respectively. Early complications of surgery were detected in eight cases (17.0%), i.e. four cases (8.5%) had facial paralysis, three patients (6.4%) had hematoma, and one individual (2.1%) had an infection. Malignancy was not significantly related with either age or gender. The prevalence of benign and malignant tumors and complications of surgery in this center was similar to other national and international studies. Systematic data collection and appropriate databases should be established to increase accuracy and reduce errors in similar research.