Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026
Retroductal Submandibular Gland Instillation and Localized Fractionated Irradiation in a Rat Model of Salivary Hypofunction
Published on: April 24, 2016
Biological therapy of salivary duct carcinoma
1Oncology Department, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Scotland, UK. m.nashed@nhs.net
Background:
The incidence of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positivity in salivary duct carcinoma ranges from 25 to 100 per cent and is associated with a poor outcome. Salivary duct carcinoma has significant pathological similarities to ductal carcinoma of the breast.
Methods And Results:
A 49-year-old man developed lung and liver metastasis a few months after surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy for salivary duct carcinoma of the parotid gland. There was no response to palliative chemotherapy with doxorubicin. We followed the biological model of breast cancer, whereby two-thirds of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive patients respond to a combination of docetaxel and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 blocker (trastuzumab). A durable, complete response was achieved with this combination. A rationalised treatment approach targeting the biological characteristics of salivary duct carcinoma had proven successful.
Related Concept Videos
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
02:57Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
01:27Tumor Immunotherapy