Metastatic salivary gland carcinoma: A role for stereotactic body radiation therapy? A study of AIRO‐Head and Neck working group

• Published in: Oral diseases 2022-03, Vol.28 (2), p.345-351
• Main Authors: Franzese, Ciro, Ingargiola, Rossana, Tomatis, Stefano, Iacovelli, Nicola Alessandro, Beltramo, Giancarlo, Franco, Pierfrancesco, Bonomo, Pierluigi, Zanetti, Isa Bossi, Argenone, Angela, Cante, Domenico, Romanello, Domenico Attilio, Musio, Daniela, De Felice, Francesca, Furlan, Carlo, Scorsetti, Marta, Orlandi, Ester
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenoid; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic - radiotherapy; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic - surgery; Exocrine glands; Head & neck cancer; Head and neck; Head and Neck cancer; Humans; local control; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Metastases; Metastasis; metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma; metastatic salivary gland carcinoma; oligometastatic; Oral cancer; overall survival; Patients; Radiation therapy; Radiosurgery - adverse effects; Retrospective Studies; Salivary gland; Salivary Gland Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Salivary Gland Neoplasms - surgery; Salivary Glands - pathology; SBRT; stereotactic body radiotherapy; Working groups
• ISSN: 1354-523X; 1601-0825
• DOI: 10.1111/odi.13755

Objectives The role of radiotherapy (RT) for oligometastases is currently established in different oncological settings but data on salivary gland cancer (SGC) are lacking. We evaluated the role of RT in oligometastatic SGC patients, focusing on stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Materials and methods We performed a retrospective, multicentric study of oligometastatic SGC treated with palliative RT or SBRT. Endpoints included response evaluation and local control (LC). Results Between 2006 and 2016, 64 patients were collected from 9 Italian Cancer Centers, on behalf of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) Head and Neck Working Group. 37 patients (57.8%) were suffering from adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) and 27 patients (42.2%) had non‐ACC. Thirty‐four patients underwent palliative RT (53,1%), and 30 received SBRT (46,9%). Most common metastatic sites were bone for palliative RT and lung for SBRT. Among patients treated with SBRT, an objective response or a stability was observed in all treated lesions. After a median follow‐up of 29.2 months (range 2.3–117.1), LC at 12 months was 57.5% for patients treated with SBRT and was higher in ACC subgroup. Conclusion We confirmed the potential role of SBRT in the management of oligometastatic SGC patients to control limited burden of disease considering the absence of effective systemic therapies.