OBJECTIVETo study the clinical features, treatment and prognosis of malignant minor salivary gland tumors of the larynx.

METHODSTreatment and outcome were retrospectively analyzed in a consecutive series of 15 patients with malignant minor salivary gland tumors of the larynx treated in this hospital from 1959 to 2005. Ten patients (66.7%) had adenoid cystic carcinoma and 2 (13.3%) had adenocarcinoma. The other three patients had mucoepidermoid carcinomas, polymorphic adenocarcinoma and base cell carcinoma respectively. Eleven (73.3%) were located in the supraglottis and 4 (26.7%) in the subglottis. Fourteen had surgery (7 with adjuvant radiotherapy) and one was treated with radiotherapy plus chemotherapy. Five patients were found to have recurrent disease, 4 of whom underwent salvage surgery, 1 of whom had palliation radiotherapy.

RESULTSWith a median follow-up of 8 years (ranging from 2 to 16 years), 7 patients are alive. Five patients have no evidence of disease, 1 of whom had surgery alone, 4 of whom were treated with surgery plus radiotherapy. Four patients died of distant metastases in a range of 2 to 10 years. The other 4 patients were lost to follow-up after treatment (ranging from 2 years to 16 years). Seven patients developed recurrent disease, 1 of whom had local recurrence alone, 1 had regional recurrence alone, 2 had distant metastases alone, and 3 had local and distant metastases.

CONCLUSIONSMinor salivary gland carcinomas of the larynx are rare and they are prone to the local recurrence and the distant metastasis in advanced stage. Distant metastases remain the principal cause of treatment failure. Surgery is the primary treatment modality used in most cases and the radiotherapy combining surgery has better local and regional control rate.