There is a lack of clear evidence on the prognosis of HNSS. Clinicians in the field frequently assume that HNSS have a worse prognosis than primary SS at other sites do.
From a sampling of 648 patients who presented to our institution with a diagnosis of SS from March 1990 through June 2012, we identified 44 patients (6.7%) who had a primary HNSS in the head and neck region and were treatment-naive.
In the present study, we could identify only 44 patients over 22 years who presented to our institution with primary HNSS. Given the treatment challenges associated with the head and neck region, one might reasonably expect the prognosis of HNSS to be poor.
Importantly, patients with HNSS had good survival rates.
There has been considerable debate regarding the choice of the tumor size cutoff value for HNSS. Although most studies have utilized the 5 cm cutoff [2,15,16], a few others have found merit in using the 4 cm cutoff [7,20].
Given the general predilection HNSS has for young men, our study cohort's median age at diagnosis (31.5 years) and male predominance are not surprising.
HNSS is known to affect several sites within the head and neck region.
Traditionally, histologic subtype has not been known to influence survival in HNSS patients.
