Publication:

Acinic cell carcinoma of parotid and review of literature

Background To study the clinical presentation, cytological and histopathological variants in acinic cell carcinomas (ACC) of parotid gland admitted in Yenepoya medical college.

Methods This study is a retrospective study done over a period of 5 years from January 2015 to December 2019 on patients admitted with parotid swellings in Yenepoya medical college hospital. All patients diagnosed as ACC of parotid on histopathological examination were considered in the study.

Results Out of 60 patients admitted with parotid swelling, 5 patients were diagnosed to have ACC of parotid. Mean age of the study subjects was 52 years of age. Gender distribution was 3 male cases and 2 female cases. FNAC suggestive of carcinoma in 3 cases, pleomorphic adenoma in 1 case and benign tumour of parotid in 1 case. Histopathology report revealed ACC in all the cases.

Conclusions ACC is a rare tumor, representing about 2 to 4% of primary neoplasms of the parotid gland. It can be misinterpreted as benign in low grade pathologies. They are quite persistent in their potential for local recurrences and distant metastases, often many years later. Therefore, long term followup is mandatory after treatment.