Ultrasound-guided bleomycin sclerotherapy for Warthin’s tumor: preliminary results of a prospective study

Background Warthin’s tumor (WT) is the second most common parotid gland neoplasm with rising incidence. As some WT patients are not suitable for surgery, non-surgical treatment options are needed. This is the first study to evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound-guided bleomycin sclerotherapy (UGBS) for WT. Patients and methods WT patients with concordant clinical, imaging, and cytology data were included. UGBS was proposed for patients who desired non-surgical intervention and fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Tumor volume and tumor-related symptoms were registered before UGBS and six months after. Results Nine patients underwent UGBS between September 2021 and September 2022. In seven of the nine patients (78%), the tumor volume had diminished on average by 34% at six-month follow-up. Also, tumor-related pain, and cosmetic and functional discomfort decreased during the follow-up. One patient was later referred to partial parotidectomy. Conclusion UGBS could be an alternative non-surgical treatment for WT, especially for patients with risk factors for surgery. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Clinical Trial EudraCT2021-001972-41 ### Funding Statement This study was funded by HUS Helsinki University Hospital ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethics committee/IRB of HUS Helsinki University Hospital gave ethical approval for this work. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors