Adjuvant Therapy for Salivary Gland Carcinomas

Abstract

Aim: We compared the clinical outcomes and toxicity profile among a retrospective cohort of patients with primary major salivary gland carcinomas (SGCs) treated with surgery followed by adjuvant radiation therapy (S+RT) versus surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (S+CRT).

Patients and methods: Twenty patients (71%) underwent S+RT and eight (29%) S+CRT at our Institution between 2006 and 2015. Microscopic positive margins were present in 54% of the patients.

Results: The 3-year overall survival (OS) was 100% with S+RT and 87.5% with S+CRT (p=0.141) and locoregional control (LRC) was 95% with S+RT and 87.5% with S+CRT (p=0.383). There were no significant differences in the rate of acute (p=0.801) and late (p=0.714) toxicities.

Conclusion: While we await randomized data, adjuvant CRT may be considered as a viable therapeutic option for patients at high-risk of local or regional recurrence, especially in those with a positive microscopic margin where further surgery may result in functional cranial neuropathies.

Keywords: Salivary gland carcinoma; adjuvant therapy; chemoradiotherapy; radiotherapy.