Salivary duct carcinoma: a report of nine cases.

Nine cases of salivary duct carcinoma are presented. Eight lesions were located in the parotid gland and one in the submandibular gland. Tumor size was greater than 3 cm in four cases (44%), and facial paralysis was observed in five tumors (62.5%). Lymph node metastases were observed macroscopically or microscopically in seven patients. Perineural and lymphatic invasion were detected in eight and seven cases, respectively. Free surgical margins were obtained in eight of the nine patients (88%). Adjuvant postoperative irradiation was delivered in eight patients. Five patients died of disease in spite of the different clinicopathologic characteristics and aggressiveness of the surgery and irradiation. None of the parameters studied correlated with the final outcome.