title: Parotid cancer treatment with surgery followed by radiotherapy in Oxford over 15 years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary parotid malignancies represent a rare diagnosis, making high-quality comparative research unfeasible. There is little U.K.-based evidence to guide practice. A review was therefore undertaken of a large series of patients treated by a multidisciplinary team in a National Health Service tertiary referral centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective patient record review at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford identified 401 patients who had undergone parotidectomy between 1995 and 2010, of whom 50 subjects were given a definitive diagnosis of primary parotid malignancy, treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. Case notes, histology and imaging were reviewed by the study team.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median follow up for the cohort was 60 months (range: 1-108 months). Facial nerve function was preserved in all patients undergoing partial or total conservative parotidectomy. Although histology showed microscopically close or positive margins in 82% of cases, all patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy and locoregional recurrence was identified in only two (4%) patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data presented demonstrate a reasonable and practical multidisciplinary approach to a complex management problem. Facial nerve sparing surgery and postoperative radiotherapy result in good control of locoregional disease.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, Oxford Cancer Centre, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK. ketan.shah@rob.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ketan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Faisal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Javed
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alcock
authors.forename: Ketan A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pretorius
authors.forename: Chris A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Milford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult