Impact of Tumor Site and Adjuvant Radiotherapy on Survival of Patients with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma: A SEER Database Analysis

摘要

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare but lethal salivary gland tumor, comprising less than 1% of head and neck neoplasms. It can affect several sites in the head and neck region, but the potential role of tumor site on survival and treatment response remains unclear and, to this day, the role that tumor location plays in treatment planning and survival has not been considered. We sought to address these knowledge gaps via analyses of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Our analysis identified that patients with submandibular gland adenoid cystic carcinomas, particularly those with late-stage disease, had worse survival compared to other sites and benefited the most from adjuvant radiotherapy. In contrast, early-stage and non-submandibular adenoid cystic carcinoma patients showed no survival benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy (aRT). These results underscore the role of tumor site on treatment response and survival of patients with head and neck ACC.