Adenoid cystic carcinoma: focus on heavy ion therapy and molecular imaging

Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are the oldest modalities for cancer treatment. However, as part of a continuous research in medicine, in order to improve therapeutic precision and biological effectiveness, there is an increasing interest into the use of heavy particle (e.g. protons or heavy ions) in the treatment of solid tumors. However, the restricted availability of the technology has concentrated the expertise in highly specialized centers that take care and treat extreme cases and rare pathologies. One of the tumors that has mostly beneficiated from heavy ion therapy is represented by adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and neck. In the current review we will focus our attention on the role of heavy particle therapy in general, with particular interest on ACC. The article will also summarize recent clinical evidence comparing traditional radiotherapy with the new heavy particles. Moreover, molecular imaging features of this uncommon tumor with ¹⁸F-FDG and ¹¹C-MET will be discussed and illustrated.