Adenoid cystic carcinoma - Cylindroma

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is otherwise known as cylindroma..It is a malignant tumour..The palatal mucos ais the most frequent site of occurrence.

Clinical features:

The salivary glands involved are the parotid,submaxillary and the accessory glands in the palate and tongue.The tumour occurs commonly during the fifth and sixth decades of life.The clinical manifestations seen are early local pain,facial nerve paralysis in the case of parotid tumours,fixation to deeper structures and local invasion.The intraoral tumours exhibit surface ulceration.

Histologic features:

The adenoid cystic carcinoma is composed of small deeply staining uniform cells resembling basal cells that are commonly arranged in anastomosing cords or a duct like pattern,the central portion of which may contain mucoid material producing the typical cribriform,honey- comb or swiss cheese patter.The stromal connective tissue becomes hyalinized and surrounds the tumour cells forming a structural pattern of cylinders from which the lesion originally derived the name’Cylindroma’.Spread of the tumour cells along the perineural spaces or perineural sheaths is a common feature of this neoplasm.

Treatment and Prognosis:

The treatment of Adenoid cystic carcinoma is surgical excision.X-ray radiation is also given after the surgical treatment.Cervical node involvement also occurs in this tumour.Distant metastases to lung,bones and brain occurs.The cure rate for patients with this disease varies from person to person but is discouragingly low.