2014 Volume 24 Issue 1 Pages 75-81
Between 1996 and 2009, 30 patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck were treated in our department. The patients consisted of 17 males and 13 females. Mean patient age was 52 years old, ranging from 24 to 78 years old. The site of the lesion was salivary gland in 12, nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses in 9, oropharynx in 3, external auditory canal in 2, nasopharynx in 1, oral cavity in 1, orbit in 1, and trachea in 1. Cumulative 5- and 10-year disease-specific survival rates in these 30 cases were 74% and 38%, respectively, and the survival rate gradually decreased in the long term. 25 of the 30 patients underwent radical cure; 16 of these 25 patients developed recurrence; 9 of these 16 patients underwent salvage. The 5-year survival rate of the 9 patients who underwent salvage was 54%, while that of the patients who did not undergo salvage was 21%. There was a statistically significant difference between the two. We concluded that patients with recurrence and metastasis should be treated, if possible, to improvement the prognosis.
