Parotid cancer treatment with surgery followed by radiotherapy in Oxford over 15 years

INTRODUCTIONPrimary parotid malignancies represent a rare diagnosis, making high-quality comparative research unfeasible. There is little UK-based evidence to guide practice. A review was therefore undertaken of a large series of patients treated by a multidisciplinary team in a National Health Service tertiary referral centre. PATIENTS AND METHODSRetrospective patient record review at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford identified 401 patients who had undergone parotidectomy between 1995 and 2010, of whom 50 subjects were given a definitive diagnosis of primary parotid malignancy, treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. Case notes, histology and imaging were reviewed by the study team. RESULTSThe median follow up for the cohort was 60 months (range: 1-108 months). Facial nerve function was preserved in all patients undergoing partial or total conservative parotidectomy. Although histology showed microscopically close or positive margins in 82% of cases, all patients underwent postoperative...