Prognostic Factors and Treatment Outcomes of Parotid Gland Cancer: A 10-Year Single-Center Experience.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the treatment outcomes of parotid gland cancer at a single center over a 10-year period and to evaluate the prognostic significance of maximum standardized uptake value.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series with chart review.

SETTING: Academic care center.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ninety-eight patients with primary parotid gland cancer who were surgically treated at Yonsei University Head & Neck Cancer Clinic between January 1999 and December 2008 were analyzed. Patient data were collected retrospectively from medical charts. The investigators analyzed the association of clinicopathological factors and maximum standardized uptake value on (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan with disease-specific survival.

RESULTS: Mean patient age was 49.7 years. Mean follow-up was 48.8 months. Thirty-three, 40, 30, and 23 patients had stage I, II, III, and IVA disease, respectively. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common histologic type (34.7%), followed by acinic cell carcinoma (27.6%). Eighteen patients (18.4%) experienced recurrences (mean recurrence gap, 20.6 months; range, 2-87 months). Five- and 10-year disease-specific survival rates were 93.6% and 81.8%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, pathologic T stage, pathologic lymph node status, resection margin, external parenchymal extension, and maximum standardized uptake value were significantly associated with disease-specific survival. Pathologic lymph node status and maximum standardized uptake value were independent prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION: Our single-center experience with parotid gland cancer treatment is consistent with the literature. Cervical lymph node metastasis and high maximum standardized uptake value are associated with poor survival in parotid gland cancer.