Clinicopathological characteristics and perineural invasion in adenoid cystic carcinoma: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Adenoid cystic carcinoma is the most frequent malignant tumor of the submandibular gland and the minor salivary glands. It is a malignant neoplasm that, despite its slow growth, shows an unfavorable prognosis. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature on Adenoid cystic carcinoma in the head and neck region and its clinicopathological characteristics, with emphasis on the perineural invasion capacity of the tumor. METHODS: A systematic search of articles published between January 2000 and January 2014 was performed in the PubMed/MEDLINE, SciELO, Science Direct, and Scopus databases. RESULTS: Nine articles were selected for this systematic review. These demonstrated that the female gender was more often affected and that malignant tumors showed a high rate of distant metastasis, recurrence, and a low survival rate. The presence of perineural invasion ranged from 29.4% to 62.5% and was associated with local tumor recurrence. CONCLUSION: Adenoid cystic carcinoma is commonly characterized by the presence of pain, high rate of recurrence, metastasis, and a low survival rate. Reporting studies with patient follow-up is of utmost importance for a better clinical-pathological understanding and to improve the prognosis of this pathology.

引言：腺囊性癌（Adenoid cystic carcinoma）是颌下腺与小唾液腺最为常见的恶性肿瘤。该恶性肿瘤虽生长进程缓慢，却呈现出不良的预后结局。

研究目的：本研究旨在对头颈部腺囊性癌的相关文献开展系统综述，重点剖析该肿瘤的神经周围浸润（perineural invasion）能力，并梳理其临床病理特征。

研究方法：本研究于PubMed/MEDLINE、SciELO、Science Direct及Scopus数据库中，对2000年1月至2014年1月期间发表的相关文献进行系统性检索。

研究结果：本次系统综述共纳入9篇文献。结果表明，女性群体的发病概率更高；该恶性肿瘤的远处转移率、复发率均处于较高水平，且患者生存率偏低。肿瘤神经周围浸润的发生率介于29.4%至62.5%之间，且与肿瘤局部复发存在显著关联。

结论：腺囊性癌通常以疼痛症状、高复发率、高转移率及低生存率为典型特征。开展包含患者随访信息的相关研究，对于深化该疾病的临床病理认知、改善其预后具有至关重要的意义。