Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis in High-Grade Transformation of Head and Neck Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma: A Collective International Review.

Hellquist H, Skálová A, Barnes L, Cardesa A, Thompson LD, Triantafyllou A, Williams MD, Devaney KO, Gnepp DR,, Bishop JA, Wenig BM, Suárez C,, Rodrigo JP,, Coca-Pelaz A, Strojan P, Shah JP, Hamoir M, Bradley PJ,, Silver CE, Slootweg PJ, Vander Poorten V,, Teymoortash A, Medina JE, Robbins KT, Pitman KT, Kowalski LP, de Bree R, Mendenhall WM, Eloy JA, Takes RP, Rinaldo A, Ferlito A.

Adv Ther. 2016 Mar;33(3):357-68.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) is among the most common malignant tumors of the salivary glands. It is characterized by a prolonged clinical course, with frequent local recurrences, late onset of metastases and fatal outcome. High-grade transformation (HGT) is an uncommon phenomenon among salivary carcinomas and is associated with increased tumor aggressiveness. In AdCC with high-grade transformation (AdCC-HGT), the clinical course deviates from the natural history of AdCC. It tends to be accelerated, with a high propensity for lymph node metastasis. In order to shed light on this rare event and, in particular, on treatment implications, we undertook this review: searching for all published cases of AdCC-HGT. We conclude that it is mandatory to perform elective neck dissection in patients with AdCC-HGT, due to the high risk of lymph node metastases associated with transformation.

PubMed ID: 26895332

Article Size: 3 MB