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Treatment Options for High-Grade Stage II Major Salivary Gland Tumors
Source: Salivary Gland Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 13, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
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Context: Treatment of Stage II Major Salivary Gland Cancer
Treatment options for high-grade stage II major salivary gland tumors include:
Localized high-grade salivary gland tumors that are confined to the gland in which they arise may be cured by radical surgery alone.
Postoperative radiation therapy may improve local control and increase survival rates for patients with high-grade tumors, positive surgical margins, or perineural invasion.[7][Level of evidence C2]; [8-10]
Source links and citations
Fast neutron-beam radiation therapy or accelerated hyperfractionated photon-beam schedules reportedly are more effective than conventional x-ray therapy in the treatment of patients with inoperable, unresectable, or recurrent malignant salivary gland tumors.[11-14]
Clinical trials exploring ways to improve local control with radiation therapy and/or radiosensitizers are appropriate.
High-grade stage II salivary gland tumors that are confined to the gland in which they arise may be cured by surgery alone, although adjuvant radiation therapy may be used, especially if positive margins are present. Primary radiation therapy may be given for tumors that are inoperable, unresectable, or recurrent. Fast neutron-beam radiation therapy has been shown to improve disease-free survival and overall survival in this clinical situation.[11,13,14]
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Preserved source evidence · Not medical advice