Post-treatment monitoring of salivary gland cancer: REFCOR recommendations by the formal consensus method.

Objective: To determine the frequency and modality of post-treatment monitoring of primary salivary gland cancer.

Material and methods: The French Network of Rare Head and Neck Tumors (REFCOR) formed a steering group who drafted a narrative review of the literature published on Medline and proposed recommendations. The level of adherence to the recommendations was then assessed by a rating group, according to the formal consensus method.

Results: Clinical monitoring should be adapted to the risk of recurrence: initially every 3 months and progressively spaced out, becoming annual after 5 years. Post-treatment head and neck and chest imaging is recommended at 3 months. Local and regional monitoring can then be carried out yearly or twice yearly with contrast-enhanced head and neck imaging. An annual chest CT scan is recommended for high-grade tumors. For lesions at high risk of late recurrence, very prolonged annual surveillance (up to 15 years) is recommended, including screening for pulmonary metastases.

Conclusion: Given the wide range of malignant salivary gland tumors, the modalities and frequency of post-treatment monitoring must be adapted to the expected course of the disease.