Factors associated with positive margins in major salivary gland cancer: An NCDB analysis.

Abstract

e18093 Background: Major salivary gland cancer includes malignancies of the parotid, sublingual, and submandibular glands which represent a diverse spectrum of disease. Surgical resection is often the primary treatment. Positive tumor margins after resection have been associated with disease recurrence and worsened prognosis. This study investigates various factors and their influence on margin status. Methods: 41,705 patients with surgically treated major salivary gland cancer between 2004 and 2020 were identified in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Factors including facility type, facility volume, surgical approach, primary site, Charlson-Deyo score, age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, income, and high school attainment were compared in patients based on margin status. Both macroscopic and microscopic positive margins were considered. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed in SPSS version 28 with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Patients treated at an Academic/Research facility were 19% less likely to have positive margins than patients treated at a Community Cancer Program. Patients treated at facilities with case volume within the top 10% were 37% less likely to have positive margins. No significant difference was found in the margin status between different surgical approaches including open, endoscopic, and robotic. Patients with non-parotid major salivary gland cancer were 15% more likely to have positive margins than parotid cancers. Patients were more likely to have positive margins with an increasing Charlson-Deyo score and an increasing age. Female and Black patients were both 9% less likely to have positive margins than their counterparts. Other racial categories, ethnicity, income, and high school attainment did not significantly impact margin status. Conclusions: Factors associated with a lower likelihood of positive margins include treatment at an Academic/Research facility, higher volume center, parotid malignancies, lower Charlson-Deyo score, younger age, female sex, and Black race. The surgical approach and other demographic factors did not demonstrate any relationship with margin status. Identifying these associations can lead to a better understanding of prognostic factors and disparities in order to improve future care. [Table: see text]