Postoperative iodine-125 interstitial brachytherapy for the early stages of minor salivary gland carcinomas of the lip and buccal mucosa with positive or close margins.

Background: The purpose of this study was to present our preliminary exploration of safety and efficacy of postoperative low-dose-rate brachytherapy for the early clinical stages of minor salivary gland carcinomas of the lip and buccal mucosa.
Methods: Twenty-seven patients with the early stages of minor salivary gland carcinomas of the lip and buccal mucosa received postoperative ¹²⁵ I seed interstitial brachytherapy from March 2005 to May 2015. Actuarial likelihood estimates for local control, overall survival, and disease-free survival were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method.
Results: The actuarial 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year local control rates were 94.7%, 82.9%, and 82.9%, respectively. The actuarial 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year overall survival rates were 93.3%, 93.3%, and 77.8%, respectively. No patient experienced toxicity above grade 2.
Conclusion: Postoperative ¹²⁵ I seed interstitial brachytherapy is an alternative to radical surgery for early stages of minor salivary gland carcinomas of the lip and buccal mucosa, which offers satisfactory cosmetic and functional outcomes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 572-577, 2017.
(© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)