Abstract

Background and Objectives: Cancer developing in the parotid gland tends to be large variety of histologic types. The relative rarity of parotid cancer makes epidemiologic study more difficult. To develop a rational therapeutic plan for parotid cancer, the surgeon must be fully cognizant of the factors that may affect survival. The objective of this study was to identify the clinical feature and prognostic factors of parotid cancer. Materials and Methods: The authors retrospectively studied 72 patients with histologically confirmed parotid cancer at Pusan National University Hospital between 1995 and 2011. We analyzed 5-year survival rate according to the some prognostic factors. Results: The overall 5-year survival rate was 82.5%. We observed statistically significant differences for patients of different clinical stages (p=0.009), regional lymph node metastasis (p<0.001), preoperative facial nerve involvement (p=0.001), distant metastasis (p<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the tumor size, surgical margin, histologic grade. Superficial parotidectomy may be a safe procedure without potential morbidity, such as postoperative facial palsy. Conclusions: Clinical stages, regional lymph node metastasis, preoperative facial nerve involvement and distant metastasis are the significant prognostic factors, and these factors need to be considered in the treatment of parotid cancer. (J Clinical Otolaryngol 2013;24:66–72)

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call