Article #5

Kanatasa, A., Hoa, M., W., S. & Mückeb, T. (2018). Current thinking about the management of

recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid: a structured review. British Journal of

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 56(4), 243-248.

Pleomorphic adenoma is a tumor that occurs in the parotid gland and is the most common

tumor that forms on the gland. Even after removal, the tumor typically grows back and can

wreak more havoc on the individual. It can be more common for this condition to reoccur if the

patient develops condition at a young age. Pleomorphic adenoma can be difficult to remove due

to being multinodular in addition to its closeness to the facial nerve. They can also be difficult to

remove due to not being able to see during preoperative imaging and not fully removing the

nodules.

Some patients are recommended to get a full parotidectomy or removal of the parotid

gland effected, but not all patients are suggested to get a parotidectomy. When undergoing a

parotidectomy, it does not 100% solidify the growth from not coming back. They have found

that radiation therapy is ideal for the removal of multinodular tumor reoccurrences. There are

other surgical procedures in addition to these, but these two are typically the most common

routes for surgical removal of the condition.

This article was very informative in certain aspects but lacked in others. I wish they

would’ve gone more into detail about how this condition forms and not just focus on how it can

reoccur even after removal. It is important to know how these conditions form and be able to

point out the signs if a patient has the condition. This article affects me as a dental hygiene
student because I need to be able to distinguish a variant of normal versus abnormal. We need to

be able to inform them on how it got there and what they can do to remove it. This article

discusses more about where they found their information and the studies they read about to get

their information and is quite repetitive at times. I could use this article in my future as a

hygienist to be able to know what to look for and signs of this condition. I fully understand why

we learned how to perform an intra oral and extra oral exam so that we can identify anything out

of the ordinary and potentially save somebody from something that could be potentially

cancerous. The patient may not even be aware of what is going on in their body until someone

draws it to their attention and makes it a cause for concern. We have the potential of saving a

person’s life and this is the main reason why intra oral and extra oral exams should never be cut

out of the appointment.