Radiotherapy for salivary gland malignant tumors

Abstract

In the radiotherapy for salivary gland malignant tumors the postoperative radiotherapy is often used to prevent locoregional recurrences. In some cases where the surgical operation is impracticable the radiotherapy can be performed alone. And the elective neck radiotherapy effectively prevents nodal relapses and is advised for select patients at high risk for regional failure.
In some researches the prognostic importance of a large number of patients has been studied. In these researches the postoperative radiotherapy for salivary gland malignant tumors is a strong prognostic factor for locoregional control and disease-specific survival. In order to enhance the locoregional control rate the postoperative radiotherapy is strongly recommended for cases of perineural invasion, close or incomplete margin, bone invasion, large （T3-） tumor, and recurrence.
The recommended dose is over 60 Gy and the doses higher than 66 Gy enhanced the locoregional control rate （＞60 ％）.
Complications due to the radiotherapy for salivary gland malignant tumors, including xerostomia, hearing loss,and mastoiditis influence the quality of patient’s life. New modality of the radiotherapy, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy and particle beam radiotherapy, will reduce the risk of the complications due to the radiotherapy for salivary gland malignant tumors.