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Twenty-seven patients (17 males, 10 females; median age 59 years) with recurrent high-grade malignancies of major (22 cases) and minor (5 cases) salivary gland origin (10 adenoid cystic carcinomas, 9 adenocarcinomas, 4 poorly differentiated carcinomas, 1 mixed malignant tumor, 3 mucoepidermoid carcinomas) were treated by monochemotherapy--cisplatin (CDDP) in 8 cases, or adriamycin in 5 cases--or polychemotherapy--CDDP + epirubicin + 5-fluorouracil/cyclophosphamide in 9 cases or CDDP + 5-fluorouracil in 3 cases with mucoepidermoid carcinomas. In adenocarcinoma-like tumors, patients treated by polychemotherapy showed a better response (9.1% CR, 36.3% PR) than patients treated with monochemotherapy (no CR, 23% PR). Patients with local recurrence and adenocarcinoma exhibited a better response. Median response duration: 7.5 months after poly- and 4 after monochemotherapy. Median overall survival time was 8+ months (responders: 14+) in the polychemotherapy group and 5.5 (responders: 8) in the monochemotherapy group. In the 3 cases with mucoepidermoid carcinoma 1 patient achieved a PR (33.3%) and in 2 there was no change.