title: Comparison of two prognostic scores for patients with parotid carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Salivary glands present a wide diversity in histopathologic types and biologic behaviors, thus complicating the search for prognostic factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared 2 prognostic scores that were previously published for patients with parotid carcinoma in a retrospective series of 175 patients treated in a single institution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cox multivariate analysis indicated clinical skin invasion, facial nerve function, and perineural growth as the most significant recurrent disease-related prognostic factors. According to the Vander Poorten score, 148 patients were divided into 4 groups, with the 5-year disease-free survival of 76%, 81%, 69%, and 35%, respectively. In the Carrillo's score, the patients were divided into 3 groups: low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk, with the 5-year disease-free survival of 84%, 73%, and 34%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Carrillo's score showed more distinct survival curves, and determination of groups with a more favorable prognosis was difficult for both scores. Therefore, both scores were not totally reproducible for our group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Diagnosis, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Brazil. ademartjr@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Ademar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahama
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanabria
authors.forename: Gustavo Melo
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Benevides
authors.forename: Oslei Paes
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: Luiz Paulo
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Kowalski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D055815:Young Adult