A 20-Year Retrospective Study of Salivary Gland Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma in a Sample of Iranian Patients

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the demographic and pathological aspects of adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) in an Iranian sample based on a 20-year archive review. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, tumors of the head and neck registered between 1980 and 2000 were evaluated and cases of ACC were selected. Patients’ medical records and pathology reports were reviewed. Variables such as age, sex, duration of disease, symptoms, site of tumor involvement and tumor diameter as well as pathologic features were recorded. Analysis was performed using chi-square and t-tests; P<0.05 was considered as the level of significance. Results: ACC was the most common malignant tumor followed by mucoepidermoid carcinoma and adenocarcinoma NOS. A total of 120 ACCs were found, of which 50.8% occurred in females and 49.2% in males. Patients’ ages ranged from 5 to 90 with a mean of 49.2 (SD=15.9) years. In 60.9% of cases, minor salivary glands were involved and the palate was the most common site. The greatest tumor diameter was between 2-15cm with a mean of 4.6 cm (SD=2.9). The most prevalent histologic appearance was cribriform, followed by tubular pattern. No significant relation was observed between lymph node metastasis and patients’ age, sex, disease duration, greatest tumor diameter and site of involvement. Conclusion: Our findings were relatively similar to other reports from different parts of the world. Further analytic and case-control studies are recommended to gain a better understanding of different aspects of ACC.