Malignant tumors of salivary glands. A university experience

The management of salivary gland neoplasms continues to be a challenging clinical problem. Despite recent advances in histopathological classification, agreement among head and neck surgeons concerning optimum treatment is lacking. In attempts to eradicate the more malignant varieties of these tumors, surgeons have performed radical and multilating surgery. Radiation therapy has not been considered efficacious in many centers. A review of 93 maligant salivary gland tumors from 1955 to 1973 at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests that these tumors may be more radiosensitive than once thought. Radiation therapy combined with conservative surgical procedures may be as successful and perhaps more rational treatment than radical surgery alone.