Multimodal treatment of patients with minor salivary gland cancer in the case of recurrent disease.

Background: Our aim in this study was to identify prognostic factors and the optimal therapeutic management in patients with minor salivary gland carcinomas.

Methods: Overall and disease-free survival and overall survival after recurrence in patients with adenoidcystic carcinoma (n = 25), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (n = 8), adenocarcinoma (n = 5), carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (n = 4), and others (n = 5) were correlated to clinical data.

Results: Overall survival correlated to treatment modality (p = .039) and T classification (p = .003), whereas prolonged disease-free interval correlated to treatment (p < .001) and T classification (p = .009). Overall survival after recurrence correlated to treatment of recurrence (p = .006) and initial T classification (p = .02). Multivariate analysis showed that overall survival after recurrence correlated to treatment of recurrence (p = .019) and initial T classification (p = 0.019). T classification was a prognostic factor for overall survival (p = .002) and disease-free interval (p = .002).

Conclusions: The initial tumor classification is a clinical predictor for patients' overall and disease-free survival and overall survival after recurrence. Multimodal treatment significantly improves patients' overall survival.