Background: Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is a widely recognized only recently by pathologists, highly malignant tumor of the salivary gland. as reflected by the increasing clinicopathologic Methods: Twenty-six cases observed during the period 1975 to 1994 were selected from the pathology archives of the Instituto studies published in the 1990s. Approximately Nazionale Tumori of Milan. A review of all the similar cases pub-26 studies have been published on salivary duct lished in the literature and comparison with the present series carcinoma, most of which are clinicopathologic was performed.
studies reported by pathologists. All of them Results. SDC was mainly a parotid gland tumor diagnosed stress the distinct morphologic features of saliat an advanced stage. Lymphatic involvement seems to be related to T stage. Distant spread was evidently related to the presence vary duct carcinoma (resembling ductal breast of lymph node metastasis. Surgery with radiotherapy was the carcinoma) and its aggressive biologic behavior.
standard treatment. The only demonstrable negative prognostic
The tumor is clinically characterized by a factor was the presence of node metastases ( p Ο 0.01).
rapid onset and progression, and, when in the Conclusions. Most patients died of disseminated disease in parotid, the mass is often associated with pain spite of an aggressive and often successful local-regional treatment. The role of a prophylactic ipsilateral neck dissection and and facial paralysis. The recurrence rate is high, adjunctive systemic treatment should be investigated. Β© 1997 and both nodal involvement and distant mestas-