Review
An overview of the rare parotid gland cancer
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* Corresponding author: Yun Yen yyen@coh.org
1 Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
2 Department of Pathology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
Head & Neck Oncology 2011, 3:40 doi:10.1186/1758-3284-3-40
Published: 14 September 2011Abstract
Cancer of the parotid gland is relatively rare, but carries poor prognosis owing to its prevailing distant metastases. In addition to the disease's basic epidemiology and pathology, we review some current discoveries of its tumorigenesis molecular mechanism. Based on published salivary gland cancer clinical trial data, non-surgical antitumor efficacies amongst a range of chemotherapy, radiation, and concurrent therapy regimens are compared. We also present the current development status of novel radiation therapy and targeted therapeutics, focusing on intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) blockages, which are showing promise for improving parotid gland cancer management.