Acinic cell carcinoma. Clinicopathologic review

Abstract

The authors reviewed 90 cases of acinic cell carcinoma treated at the Mayo Clinic to assess long‐term follow‐up and to study features predictive of disease progression. Sixty‐three patients (55 females and 35 males) were seen for primary treatment; 27 had recurrent disease when first evaluated. Histologically, these tumors were composed of serous acinar cells and intercalated duct‐type cells. Morphologic patterns included solid, microcystic, follicular, and papillary‐cystic. All patients were followed for at least 10 years or until death. Of the primary treatment group, 44% had local recurrence, 19% had metastasis, and 25% died of disease. Disease first recurred locally up to 30 years after presentation and resulted in death after as many as 38 years. Poor prognostic features include pain or fixation; gross invasion; microscopic features of desmoplasia, atypia, or increased mitotic activity; and excision as initial treatment. Neither morphologic pattern nor cell composition was a predictive feature. Copyright © 1991 American Cancer Society