Parotid gland cancer
ICD-10 C07 · ICD-11 2B67

Treatment of Parotid Gland Cancer Not Amenable to Surgical Resection

When parotid gland cancer cannot be surgically resected — whether because of the extent of disease or an underlying medical comorbidity — a dedicated non-surgical treatment strategy is required. This protocol defines the approach for this specific clinical situation.

Clinical scenario: Salivary gland malignancy where surgical resection is not feasible due to disease extent or medical comorbidity. In this setting, a primary non-surgical approach targeting local disease control is indicated.

Treatment Approach — Partial Overview

Definitive radiotherapy directed to a curative dose is the primary modality considered for patients in this setting, with the target encompassing the gross disease in the salivary gland and relevant regional structures. The complete protocol — including field design, dose specification, fractionation, and guidance on additional treatment considerations — is available via the structured protocol below.

Full regimen details available in the protocol…
Instant Access to Structured Evidence-Based Regimens

References

DOI: 10.1200/JCO.21.00449

  1. Radiotherapy should be offered to patients with SGM who are not candidates for surgical resection (because of extent of disease or medical comorbidity).
  2. The high-dose target should cover the gross disease in the salivary gland and any appropriate nodal levels.
  3. For those patients who cannot have surgical resection, retrospective series have demonstrated that definitive radiotherapy to a curative dose provides an LC benefit and a cause-specific survival of approximately 40% at 10 years.
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