Head and Neck Imaging

Acinic cell carcinoma

neoplasm almost exclusively arising from the parotid gland, rarely from the submandibular gland or sublingual gland. It is also called acinic cell tumour, because there are no reliable distinguishing histological features allowing predictions as to which neoplasm will behave aggressively and metastasize. Most often, the tumour appears radiologically as a solitary, generally well-defined soft tissue mass in the superficial lobe of the parotid gland, sometimes containing cystic areas. Treatment is complete surgical resection; incomplete resection (e.g. when a limited tumourectomy is performed) has a high rate of local recurrence and a diminished long-term survival rate. Late recurrences (up to 30 years after the initial surgery) are common.

RH