Malignant parotid tumors: presentation, clinical/pathologic prognostic factors, and treatment outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the important clinical/pathologic prognostic factors and optimal treatment of malignant parotid tumors.


METHODS
This study was a retrospective chart review of 163 patients treated for malignant parotid tumors at two institutions. Of the 163 patients, 91 were treated with surgical resection and radiotherapy (RT), 56 were treated with surgery alone, and 13 were treated with RT alone. The median follow-up was 5.1 years (range, 0-37 years).


RESULTS
Locoregional recurrence occurred in 37% of surgery-only, 11% of surgery plus RT, and 15% of RT-only patients (p = 0.001, Pearson's chi-square test). Cox proportional hazard multivariate analysis revealed that increasing age and higher stage were each statistically significantly (p < 0.05) associated with a poorer overall 5-year survival and cause-specific survival. Only increasing age and the absence of adjuvant RT were shown in Cox proportional hazard multivariate analysis to impact negatively on local failure-free survival.


CONCLUSIONS
In Cox proportional hazards multivariate analysis, only increasing age and stage were statistically significant prognostic factors for survival. The addition of RT to surgery did not improve overall survival but did reduce locoregional recurrence and improve local failure-free survival.
Pohar
Surjeet
S
Department of Radiation Oncology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA. pohars@upstate.edu
Gay
Hiram
H
Rosenbaum
Paula
P
Klish
Darren
D
Bogart
Jeffrey
J
Sagerman
Robert
R
Hsu
Jack
J
Kellman
Robert
R
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome