Introduction:

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare tumor, with an annual incidence of 3-4.5 cases/million.

Materials and methods:

We conducted a descriptive and retrospective study. We included patients diagnosed with ACC of head and neck of a single third-level referral center, from January 2008 to December 2013.

Results:

A total of 23 patients were included in the study, 10 males (43.5%) and 13 females (56.5%) (F:M ratio 1.3:1). Median age was 52 years. Localization was predominantly observed in the oral cavity (26%) followed by the palate (17.4%). At presentation, 15 patients (65.2%) had clinical Stage II. The most frequent histology was the cribriform type in 10 patients (43.5%). Following resection, positive margins were observed in 15 (65.2%), neural invasion in 8 (34.8%), and lymphovascular invasion in 2 (8.7%) patients. The median time to recurrence in our population was 23 months. Recurrence at 5 years was observed in 15 patients (65%). At 2 years, recurrence was predominantly local in 7 patients (46%); whereas after 2 years, it was predominantly pulmonary 6 patients (40%). Overall, 5 year-survival was 78%.

Conclusions:

Cystic adenoid carcinoma is characterized by a high recurrence rate. Nevertheless, it has a high overall 5-year survival, which justifies an aggressive treatment.