Abstract
Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a relatively rare tumor of the salivary glands, accounting for approximately 5%–10% of all salivary gland tumors. An important feature of ACCs is the long clinical course with a high rate of distant metastases, with an incidence of more than 40% for ACC of submandibular glands. The preferential sites of metastases are the lung and bone, followed by the brain and liver. Most liver metastases are derived from nonparotid ACCs, and the presentation is often related to local recurrence or metastases to other organs. We herein report the case of a patient with liver metastases treated by a hepatectomy, which occurred 18 months after the primary resection of an ACC of the submandibular gland. We furthermore review the literature concerning the management of these tumors.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bradley PJ. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck: a review. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004;12(2):127–132.
Sun MW, Kim KH, Kim JW, Min YG, Seong WJ, Roh JL, et al. Clinicopathologic predictors and impact of distant metastasis from adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;129(11):1193–1197.
Triantafillidou K, Dimitrakopoulos J, Iordanidis F, Koufogiannis D. Management of adenoid cystic carcinoma of minor salivary glands. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2006;64(7):1114–1120.
Spiro RH. Distant metastasis in adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary origin. Am J Surg 1997;174(5):495–498.
Schwentner I, Obrist P, Thumfart W, Sprinzl G. Distant metastasis of parotid gland tumors. Acta Otolaryngol 2006;126(4):340–345.
Bradley PJ. Distant metastases from salivary gland cancer. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec 2001;63(4):233–242.
Budd GT, Groppe CW. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary gland. sustained response to chemotherapy. Cancer 1983;51(4);589–590.
Liu D, Labow DM, Dang N, Martini N, Bains M, Burt M, et al. Pulmonary metastasectomy for head and neck cancers. Ann Surg Oncol 1999;6(6):572–578.
Goéré D, Elias D. Resection of liver metastases from noncolorectal non-endocrine primary tumours. Eur J Surg Oncol 2008;34(3):281–288.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Balducci, G., Sagnotta, A., Muroni, M. et al. An unusual case of exclusive liver metastases from adenoid cystic carcinoma of the submandibular gland: A role for surgery? Report of a case. Surg Today 41, 596–599 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-010-4318-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-010-4318-9