Background: Epidemiological studies proved the correlation between the type 2 diabetes and the incidence of different malignancies. Type 2 diabetes and the obesity can influence the structure and the function of the salivary glands. Little is known about the connection between the incidence of the salivary gland tumours and the metabolic syndrome.

Method: Thus in a retrospective analysis the association between the type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome and the salivary gland tumours were examined among the patients of the Department of Oro-Maxillofacial Surgery and Stomatology of the Semmelweis University. We also analysed the different characteristics of the metabolic separately among our salivary gland tumourous patients and the control group.

Results: 657 patients were accrued (336 in the tumourous group, 321 in the control group). The rate of the diabetic patients was significantly higher in the tumourous group. We recognized the same correlation between the metabolic syndrome and the salivary gland tumours. If we separately examined the characteristics of the metabolic syndrome there was no significant difference for the decreased HDL-cholesterol level only.

Conclusion: According to these results control of the blood sugar level may be essential, not only to reduce the cardiovascular risk, but also to prevent tumour progression.