Neurilemomas and salivary gland tumors of the head and neck following childhood irradiation

Abstract

In a program to contact and examine 4180 individuals with a history of childhood irradiation treatment for enlarged tonsils and adenoids, the authors have discovered 29 neurilemomas, two neurofibromas, and one ganglioneuroma in the 2311 subjects who have been found. Ten of these presented as acoustic neuromas, 21 presented as cervical mass lesions, and one was found in the superior posterior mediastinum. Because of their numbers and their strict localization to the area of treatment, it was concluded that they were radiation-induced. Analysis of the latency of these tumors indicates that they continue to occur for at least 30 years after the radiation exposure. In the same group of individuals, there have been 54 confirmed salivary gland tumors, 40 benign and 14 malignant. These tumors are also continuing to occur many years after the radiation exposure.