Acinic cell carcinoma of salivary origin. A clinicopathologic study of 67 cases.

This study reviews a 30 year experience with acinic cell carcinoma. The tumor arose in the parotid gland in 64 patients, the submaxillary gland in one and minor salivary glands in two. In untreated patients with small tumors, clinical findings usually suggested a benign mixed tumor and a subtotal parotidectomy which spared the facial nerve was highly effective therapy. In contrast, local recurrence and death was the rule in those few who had locally extensive disease, regardless of how radical an operation was performed. Determine "cure" rates for the entire group were 76, 63 and 55% at 5, 10 and 15 years, respectively. Cervical lymph node metastasis occurred in 16% of the patients, and distant metastasis in 12%. Survival was most directly influenced by the clinical extent of the primary tumor, and also correlated with certain histologic features which are described.