PURPOSE

To discuss the outcomes of primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the major salivary glands treated by surgery with or without postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of 579 cases with malignancy originating in the major salivary glands. A total of 34 cases were eligible for the present study. The outcomes were analyzed in terms of disease failure patterns and survival rates between the 2 treatment groups.

RESULTS

The treatment was surgery alone in 16 patients and a combination of surgery and postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy in 18. The locoregional recurrence rate was 43.8% in the surgery group and 22.2% in the surgery plus radiotherapy group. The distant metastasis rate was 6.3% in the surgery group and 44.4% in the surgery plus radiotherapy group. The 5-year disease-specific survival and disease-free survival (DFS) rate for all patients was 50.3% and 35.3%, respectively. The 5-year disease-specific survival rate was 48.9% in the surgery group and 48.2% in the surgery plus radiotherapy group. The 5-year DFS rate was 25.0% in the surgery group and 31.2% in the surgery plus radiotherapy group. The log-rank test showed no significant differences in the disease-specific survival or DFS rates between the 2 groups (P = .724 for disease-specific survival and P = .269 for DFS).

CONCLUSION

Planned postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy is anticipated to be able to improve locoregional control rates and DFS for patients with primary SCC of the major salivary glands.