Background & objective: Minor salivary gland carcinoma of the hard palate is rare, and its long-term survival rate is high, making it difficult to evaluate the prognostic factors and the efficacy of treatment. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of treatment and investigate the prognostic factors of minor salivary gland carcinoma of the hard palate.
Methods: Ninety-six cases of minor salivary gland carcinoma of the hard palate hospitalized in Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, from 1964 to 2001 were reviewed retrospectively. The cumulative survival rate was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. The factors were compared using the log-rank test. The influencing factors were screened by Cox proportional hazards model.
Results: The 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 65.60% and 47.90%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year disease-specific survival rates for the patients treated with surgery (53 cases) and surgery + radiotherapy (35 cases) were 73.14%, 67.40% and 66.58%,46.60%,respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that age >or=50 years old,tumor size >or=3 cm,surgical margin status,and recurrence were independently associated with decreased survival rates (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: Surgery or surgery dominated multi-modality therapy was the principal treatment modality for minor salivary gland carcinoma of the hard palate. Age >or=50 years old, tumor size >or=3 cm, surgical margin status, and recurrence are independent factors affecting the prognosis.