Treatment of such disease in your mother s case is difficult to determine. It appears that CT scan has lesions that are suspicious for metastases or spread of her cancer to the lungs. This is very common for adenoid cystic carcinomas to spread to the lungs very early on in its diagnosis. Despite spread of this disease distantly to the lungs, there have been cases where patients with this condition have survived many years. Thus, local treatment to the primary tumor itself and regional lymph nodes is important it controlling this disease.
Local treatment comes in the form of surgery if possible followed by radiation therapy .
Chemotherapy in this disease remains investigational at this point, but may be indicated since there is systemic evidence of the cancer. Cisplatinum and Taxol are two of the drugs under study. The radiation therapy is usually given post-operatively and is effective as an adjunct to surgery, which is the mainstay of local treatment. If radiation is utilized alone, twice a day photon therapy or neutron therapy is advisable for the optimal local control. Again, please consult your mother's cancer physicians concerning the best mode of treatment for her cancer.