Single institutional experience of head and neck adenoid cystic carcinomas

Purpose: Aim of this study is to analyzing the outcomes of the head and neck adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) according to tumor stage, perineural invasion (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and determining the risk of local failure. Methods:The data of 68 ACC patients between 2002 and 2016 we are collected from electronic database of Gazi University Medical Faculty and patients files.Thirteen patients were excluded from study because of lack of information.Univariate Kaplan Meier and multivariate analysis Cox regression tests we are used to identify local recurrence free survival and it predictors.Results: The mean age of study was 54.2 years.31 patients (56.3%) had perineural invasion, 31 patients (56.3%) had stage T3-T4 disease and 9 patients (16.3%) had a positive lymph node.Mean follow-up duration was 57.7 months and 73.5% of the patients survived during this period.T stage of tumor (p=0.034),nodal status (p<0.001) and positive/close surgical margins (p=0.017) were determined as risk factors for disease free survival.However, in contrast to literature, postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) seemed insignificant the tumor control (p=0.235),because,all patients in the no PORT group were consisted of T1-2 tumors resected with wide surgical margins.So, the benefit of PORT could not be assessed properly due to the composition of groups.Conclusion: There is an eloquent correlation between the local recurrence risk and T stage of tumor, nodal involvement and surgical margins.However, benefit of PORT could not be assessed properly, due to design of no PORT group.