Active surveillance for pleomorphic adenomas of the parotid—Tumor growth rate, potential malignancy, and surgical sequalae Journal Article


Authors: Levyn, H.; Subramanian, T.; Eagan, A.; Scholfield, D. W.; Lopez, J.; Katabi, N.; Wong, R. J.; Shah, J. P.; Givi, B.; Morris, L. G. T.; Ganly, I.; Patel, S. G.
Article Title: Active surveillance for pleomorphic adenomas of the parotid—Tumor growth rate, potential malignancy, and surgical sequalae
Abstract: Objective: The outcomes of active surveillance (AS) for pleomorphic adenomas (PA) as an alternative to upfront parotidectomy have not been previously documented in the literature. This cohort study aims to assess the safety and feasibility of AS for parotid gland PA. Methods: All patients with of previously untreated PA managed between 1990 and 2015 were reviewed. Patients who underwent AS for a minimum of 1 year from the initial consultation were identified. Patient demographics, the reason for AS, tumor growth rate, indication for surgery in those patients eventually operated, final pathology, and surgical sequelae were analyzed. Results: During the study period, 610 patients with primary PA were treated in our institution. Of whom, 14 (2.3%) underwent AS for a period between 1 and 10 years with a median of 3.73 years (interquartile range [IQR] 1.3–4.9). Patient comorbidities were the most common reason for opting for AS (n = 6, 43%), followed by patients' preference to delay surgery (n = 4, 29%) and older age (n = 2, 14%). The median growth rate was 0.58 mm/year (IQR 0.04, 3.8, range −5.01 to 4.98 mm/year). In patients who eventually underwent parotidectomy (n = 10, 71.4%), the most common reason for intervention was tumor growth (8/10, 80%). Two patients had postsurgical mild transient facial nerve paresis with full recovery, and no carcinomas were discovered on final pathology. Conclusion: In this selected cohort of patients with PA, the tumor growth rate was lower than traditionally believed. Patients who eventually underwent surgery did not suffer from serious complications and there was no evidence of clinical or pathological malignancy. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Keywords: adult; controlled study; aged; middle aged; retrospective studies; major clinical study; nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; follow up; follow-up studies; computer assisted tomography; cohort analysis; pathology; retrospective study; active surveillance; watchful waiting; comorbidity; surgery; complications; consultation; tumor growth; malignant transformation; parotid gland; parotid neoplasms; growth rate; observation; patient preference; pleomorphic adenoma; adenoma, pleomorphic; parotidectomy; physician assistant; parotid gland tumor; benign mixed tumor; humans; prognosis; human; male; female; article; mandibular nerve; major salivary glands
Journal Title: Journal of Surgical Oncology
Volume: 131
Issue: 4
ISSN: 0022-4790
Publisher: Wiley Blackwell  
Date Published: 2025-03-15
Start Page: 665
End Page: 670
Language: English
DOI: 10.1002/jso.27977
PUBMED: 39523918
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: The MSK Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA008748) is acknowledge in the PDF -- Corresponding authors is MSK author: Snehal G. Patel -- Source: Scopus
Altmetric
Citation Impact
BMJ Impact Analytics
MSK Authors
  1. Snehal G Patel
    412 Patel
  2. Nora Katabi
    304 Katabi
  3. Richard J Wong
    415 Wong
  4. Luc Morris
    279 Morris
  5. Babak Givi
    24 Givi
  6. Ian Ganly
    431 Ganly
  7. Jatin P Shah
    721 Shah
  8. Joseph Lopez
    14 Lopez
  9. Alana Eagan
    23 Eagan
  10. Helena Levyn
    14 Levyn