Salivary gland tumors occurring after radiation of the head and neck area

Abstract

Evidence is presented that radiation to the head and neck area for a benign condition produced identifiable change of the skin, followed by tumor formation in the salivary glandular tissue. Five cases are reported; each patient had therapeutic radiation for a benign condition or had occupational exposure. In each patient radiation dermatitis and/or basal cell epithelioma or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin of the head and neck area developed. At a much later date, salivary tumors of the submaxillary or parotid areas developed. There was a definite time lag of about ten to twenty years between the date of radiation and the cutaneous formation of a cancerous lesion, and another lag of about fifteen to twenty-five years before the development of the salivary tumor. Two additional cases with comparable conditions of radiation-related parotid tumors were recorded in this paper through the courtesy of medical colleagues at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York City.