Treatment of malignant neoplasms of the parotid gland

In this study we evaluated the effects of surgical and radiotherapy treatment on local control in 126 patients with malignant tumors of the parotid gland. The most frequently observed malignant tumors were high-grade tumors (68%). Surgical treatment was performed in 81 patients (83.5%). Total conservative parotidectomy was the most frequent procedure (74%), and radiotherapy was performed in 81 patients (83.5%). The global survival rate was approximately 54% at 5 years, whereas disease-free survival was 47% at 5 years. No statistically significant difference in survival rate was found between conservative (52% at 5 years) and radical treatment of the seventh cranial nerve (43% at 5 years). The incidence of recurrent cancer was 25.7% (25 of 97), of which 88% developed during the first 2 years. We report some of the clinical and histologic factors that can influence the prognosis of the disease.