Prognosis of malignant tumors of the parotid gland with facial paralysis.

A parotid malignant tumor with spontaneous facial nerve involvement is a serious prognostic sign. Of 34 patients reported, 29 have been followed for at least five years. In this group, 20 are dead of disease (one at five years), one is dead of other causes (at seven years), one is living with disease, and seven are free of disease. Four of these seven cases have been followed for more than ten years, with two being free of disease for 12 years. Thus, it is not a hopeless situation, as some studies have shown, and not a contraindication to combined radical surgery and radiotherapy treatment for cure if not palliation.