Evaluation of Definitively Treated Early and Locally Advanced Malignant Salivary Gland Tumors

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of subgroups of early or locally advanced malignant salivary gland tumors(SGTs) that are amenable to definitive treatment, evaluate the preferred treatment modalities, assess the survival benefits of these treatments, and identify prognostic risk factors. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 51 patients diagnosed with malignant SGTs who were followed up at oncology clinic of Ankara Etlik City Hospital between January 1, 2014, and January 1, 2024. Data on subgroups, treatments received, disease stages, surgical status, surgical margin status, anatomical sites of origin, and survival outcomes were recorded. Survival outcomes were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method with the log-rank test or the Cox proportional hazard regression model using IBM SPSS Statistics. Among the pathological subtypes, the most common were adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and salivary duct carcinoma, with patient numbers of 11 (21.6 %), 11 (21.6 %), and 10 (19.6 %), respectively. In the overall survival (OS) analysis, the median OS was not reached in the entire cohort. The 1-year OS rate was 94 %, the 3-year OS rate was 66 %, and the 5-year OS rate was 60 %. The early or locally advanced stage of the disease and the presence of positive surgical margins are significant prognostic risk factors in malignant SGTs. If achieving negative surgical margins is not feasible, definitive chemoradiotherapy should be considered as an alternative, as there is no significant difference in overall survival.