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National Cancer Data Base report on cancer of the head and neck: acinic cell carcinoma
H T Hoffman1, L H Karnell, R A Robinson
1Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, USA.
Background:
Management of acinic cell carcinoma is based on reports of small numbers of cases accrued over several decades.
Methods:
The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) identified 1353 cases of acinic cell carcinoma of the head and neck for the years 1985 to 1995. Chi square analyses of selected contingency tables and Wilcoxon regression analyses of selected survival stratifications are presented.
Results:
Five-year survival was 83.3% (observed) and 91.4% (disease specific). Worse survival was associated with high grade (p < .0001), age greater or equal to 30 years (p = .0055), and the presence of metastatic disease (p < .0001).
Conclusions:
An aggressive subset of acinic cell carcinoma which is characterized by high grade and advanced stage rarely occurs in patients younger than 30 years old. Although better outcome was not statistically demonstrated for combined therapy, surgery with irradiation is the most common management in the United States for cases with regional metastases, high grade, and microscopic positive margins.