Postoperative Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy for Myoepithelial Carcinoma in the Parotid Gland

Cureus. 2022 Jan 13;14(1):e21197. doi: 10.7759/cureus.21197. eCollection 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Myoepithelial carcinoma (MC) is an extremely rare form of tumor, with no standard treatment established to date. Although several reports have discussed postoperative radiation therapy (PORT), few have applied intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and none has described the dose and radiation field in detail. In this report, we describe a case of MC of the parotid gland that was treated with high-dose IMRT (70 Gy) after partial resection. The patient, a 61-year-old female, underwent excisional surgery and was diagnosed with MC arising from a pleomorphic adenoma (PA). Postoperative irradiation was administered as 70 Gy in 35 fractions of local radiation. The patient had cancer recurrence in the irradiated field. However, no serious adverse events associated with the radiation therapy have been confirmed, implying that postoperative high-dose radiation therapy may be safely administered via IMRT.

Keywords: intensity-modulated radiation therapy; myoepithelial carcinoma; nivolumab; parotid gland; postoperative radiation therapy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports