Dr. Rodriguez on Systemic Therapy in Salivary Gland Cancer

Cristina P. Rodriguez, MD, hematology oncologist, University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, discusses the emerging role of systemic therapy for patients with salivary gland cancers.

These are very rare malignancies that are also biologically diverse with 24 subtypes, Rodriguez explains. The challenge with treating these patients with chemotherapy is that there are not enough data from clinical trials to demonstrate its role.

Despite the lack of evidence, there are other agents that elicit activity in these tumors, including platinum-based therapies—whether alone or in combination. Immune checkpoint inhibitors may also have a role in this field. Use of next-generation sequencing might help identify subtypes that have therapeutic targets, she adds.