Adenocarcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of the head and neck: Report of five cases.

Objective: Adenocarcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma is a rare tumor, and thus the management of the tumor has not been established.

Methods: The retrospective review of the clinical records at Okayama University was performed.

Results: We present five cases of adenocarcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of the head and neck, including a rare case with nasopharyngeal adenocarcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma. There was no response to chemotherapy with nedaplatin and 5-FU, but the nasopharyngeal adenocarcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma showed a remarkable regression after the administration of docetaxel.

Conclusion: The combination therapy that includes docetaxel may be a promising treatment for adenocarcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of the head and neck.