The comparison of parotid gland carcinoma and submandibular gland carcinoma―Results of a multi institutional retrospective study

Objective: Parotid gland carcinoma (PGC) and submandibular gland carcinoma (SMGC) are relatively rare. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the clinical outcomes of PGC and SMGC. Patients: Our study included 260 patients(195 with PGC and 65 with SMGC) who underwent initial surgical treatment at Kyoto University and its affiliated hospitals between 2006 and 2015. Results: A total of 44% of the PGCs and 58% of the SMGCs were classified as high-grade malignancies. The sensitivity of fine-needle aspiration cytology was 50% for PGC and 75% for SMGC. At a mean follow-up time of 3.6 years, the 3-year overall survival, disease-specific survival (DSS), locoregional control, and no distant metastasis (NDM) rates for PGC were 85 %, 89 %, 85 %, and 87 %, respectively, while those for SMGC were 74 %, 74 %, 90 %, and 65 %, respectively. Furthermore, the DSS and NDM rates for SMGC were statistically significantly lower than those for PGC. Conclusions: In comparison to PGC, SMGC has a higher risk of distant metastasis and a poorer DSS rate.