Clinicopathological Factors are Predictors of Distant Metastases From Salivary Gland Carcinoma After Surgery Combined With 125I Internal Brachytherapy.

Purpose Distant metastasis (DM) indicates a poor outcome from cancer treatment. The present study estimated the incidence of DM and identified risk factors associated with development of DM in patients with salivary gland carcinoma that achieved locoregional control after surgery combined with 125I internal brachytherapy. Materials and Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed using consecutive patients treated with surgery combined with 125I internal brachytherapy at the Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology. Variables that might be associated with DM, including clinical, treatment characteristics, pathologic findings, and time to DM were recorded. Kaplan-Meier was performed to estimate incidence of DM, and Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify factors associated with DM. Results Data from 156 patients were obtained for statistical analysis. The DM was observed in 16 of 156 with rate being 10.3%. The median interval from diagnosis of primary tumor to DM was 30.0 months. The 3-, 5-, 10-year overall survival rates were 97.0, 94.6, 85.2%, respectively, for patients without DM compared with 60.9, 52.2, 26.1%, respectively, for those with DM (P  Conclusions Histologic grade was the major risk factor that significantly influenced DM in patients with salivary gland carcinoma that achieved locoregional control. Patients with high-grade tumors should be under close evaluation for DM.