The so-called "mixed" tumors which occur frequently in the cephalic region have given rise to a good deal of controversy because of the uncertainty regarding their origin. While they may occur in the neck, pharynx, lips, cheek and palate, they are found especially in the salivary glands, and are often generalized under the name of the salivary gland type of mixed tumors. These tumors are characterized by the heterogeneity of the tissues contained in them as well as by a great irregularity in the arrangement of the cells.
Heineke1 of Leipzig, in 1913, was one of the first to make a detailed study of these tumors, including their histology. Of the 360 cases of mixed tumors of the salivary glands which he found recorded in the literature, 288 were in the parotid region, 69 in the submaxillary region and only 3 in the sublingual gland. Although Heineke referred to mixed