Adenoid cystic carcinoma of head and neck: A retrospective clinical analysis of a single institution

Abstract

In this study, patients with head and neck adenoid cystic carcinoma were investigated with respect to disease characteristics, treatments, and potentially prognostic variables. Between January 1995 and December 2010, 29 patients with ACC of the head and neck treated at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. The 29 patients had a mean age of 54.7 years. Of the 29 patients, 4 (13.8%) underwent surgical resection only, 21 (72.4%) underwent surgery with radiotherapy, and 4 (13.8%) received postoperative chemoradiotherapy. Of 9 patients (31.0%) who experienced a recurrence within the follow-up period, 3 (10.3%) had local recurrence and 5 (17.2%) had distant metastasis; 1 (3.4%) patient had both local recurrence and distant metastatic spread. ACC is a relatively rare tumor associated with long survival, even in metastatic settings. Despite aggressive therapy with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemo- therapy, a marked potential for local and distant recurrence still remains.