Differences in clinical features and prognosis between orbit adenoid cystic carcinoma and adenocarcinoma: a study...

To analyze the differences in clinical features, treatment methods, prognosis, and etiological factors between lacrimal gland, adenoid cystic carcinoma (LGACC), and orbit adenocarcinoma.

All cases of LGACC and orbit adenocarcinoma between 1975 and 2016 were obtained from the US National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

The 3-, 5-, and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates for 118 LGACC cases were 82.2%, 70.2%, and 51.7%, respectively. The 3-, 5-, and 10-year OS rates for 29 orbit adenocarcinoma cases were 76.3%, 51.2%, and 51.2%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall survival rate between LGACC and adenocarcinoma (P=0.566). Univariate analysis showed that the proportion of deaths was higher with increased age and year of diagnosis in LGACC (P=0.010 and P=0.000), while the death rate was higher for poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (P=0.020). The survival rate for LGACC was lower in patients ⩾60 years of age than in those <60 years of age (P=0.035). There was no significant difference in survival rate between adenocarcinoma patients ⩾60 years and <60 years old (P=0.102). There was no significant correlation between the degree of tumor differentiation and the survival rate for LGACC or adenocarcinoma (P=0.401 or P=0.098, respectively).

There is no significant difference in prognosis between LGACC and adenocarcinoma. The degree of tumor differentiation is not associated with prognosis for either LGACC or adenocarcinoma.