Factors Influencing Survival in Acinic Cell Carcinoma: a Retrospective Survival Analysis of 2061 Patients

Background: Acinic cell carcinoma is an uncommon salivary neoplasm with clinical and histologic features known to influence prognosis. The purpose of this study was to further describe variables influencing survival in a large cohort of patients with acinic cell carcinoma.

Methods: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry, we obtained demographic, clinicopathologic, and treatment data pertaining to patients diagnosed with acinic cell carcinoma. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to compare survival with various clinical and pathological parameters.

Results: We identified 2061 patients with acinic cell carcinoma from 1973 to 2009. Sex, staging, grade, subsite, and treatment were significant predictors of disease-specific survival (DSS). Patients who received surgery alone had the highest 20-year DSS (92.4%), followed by those treated with surgery and radiation (71.9%) or radiation alone (62.3%).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that histologic grade is a stronger predictor of survival than TNM classification, survival after surgical resection alone is excellent, and adjuvant radiation may be of limited benefit