Postoperative Radiation Therapy for Parotid Pleomorphic Adenoma With Close or Positive Margins: Treatment Outcomes and Toxicities

Repeatedly recurring pleomorphic adenoma: a therapeutic challenge

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is the most common tumour of the salivary glands, and can recur even after proper surgery. The extent and timing of surgery for recurrent tumours remains controversial, and multiple recurrences pose a special challenge. We evaluated all recurrent PAs (RPAs) treated at the Helsinki University Hospital through 2004-2013 focusing on patients with multiple recurrences. Follow-up data were obtained until January 2018. Of the 47 patients, 70% were women and the median age was 33.5 years. Most of the RPAs were located in the parotid gland (87%), and six (13%) in the submandibular gland. One-third (17/47) of tumours had been primarily excised. This patient population experienced 75 recurrent events in total with two or more recurrences in 14 patients (30%). The time interval between recurrences shortened after each recurrent event and the tumour was more likely to be multifocal. At the end of the follow-up period, 15% had recurrent disease and malignant transformation had occurred in 6%. Treatment for PA and RPA is challenging and requires centralised management. Patients with RPA are often young and recurrences may cause lifelong morbidity, especially when the tumour recurs repeatedly. The utilisation and timing of postoperative radiotherapy needs to be discussed as well as the potential risk for malignant transformation in this patient population.

Radiotherapy for cutaneous head and neck cancer and parotid tumours: a prospective investigation of treatment-related acute swallowing and toxicity patterns

PURPOSE

Reports of acute treatment-related dysphagia and toxicities for patients with parotid tumours or cutaneous head and neck cancer (HNC) are limited. This study aimed to describe the severity and timing of dysphagia and related toxicities experienced during radiotherapy for cutaneous HNC and parotid tumours, to inform the nature of future speech pathology (SP) service models required during treatment.

METHODS

Prospective study of 32 patients with parotid tumours and 36 with cutaneous HNC undergoing curative non-surgical management. Dysphagia and acute toxicity data was collected weekly during treatment and at 2, 4 and 12 weeks post-treatment using the Functional Oral Intake Scale, diet descriptors and CTCAE v4.0.

RESULTS

In both groups, minimal treatment toxicities (grades 0-1) were observed. Xerostomia and dysgeusia were the most frequently reported grade 2 toxicities. Only 3% of parotid patients and 6% with cutaneous HNC experienced grade 3 dysphagia. Full or soft texture diets were maintained by > 70% of patients in both groups. Symptoms peaked in the final week of treatment and rapidly improved thereafter. Apart from xerostomia < 10% of patients had any grade 2 toxicity at 12 weeks post-treatment.

CONCLUSION

Patients in these subgroups of HNC experienced minimal treatment-related toxicity during radiotherapy. As such, the need for supportive symptom management by SP is low. Models that involve interdisciplinary surveillance of symptoms with referral to SP only when required may be best suited for these individuals to ensure issues are identified whilst minimising patient burden created by unnecessary routine SP appointments.