Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the parotid gland: clinicopathological characteristics, treatment, and prognosis

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the parotid gland is a rare aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. The clinical behaviour, histopathological characteristics, and treatment strategies for parotid SCC still need to be comprehensively demonstrated. In this study, a retrospective review of patients diagnosed with parotid SCC was performed, covering the past two decades. Twenty-nine patients with primary parotid SCC and 10 patients with recurrent parotid SCC were identified. The clinicopathological characteristics of parotid SCC were summarized. Imaging records were used to determine the extent of invasion of the parotid SCC. Histopathological alterations in the parotid resulting from the infiltration of SCC were demonstrated. A set of treatment strategies was developed, involving parotidectomy, neck dissection, facial nerve treatment, defect repair, adjuvant radiotherapy, and chemotherapy/targeted therapy. The median patient survival was 24 months for those with primary parotid SCC and 14.5 months for those with recurrent parotid SCC. Comparatively, patients with a larger tumour size of primary parotid SCC experienced poorer overall survival (hazard ratio 8.986; P=0.013). Great efforts have been made over the past two decades to identify and treat parotid SCC. Consensus regarding therapeutic options for parotid SCC has not been widely achieved and there is still a great need for well-designed prospective studies.