Association between clinical features, treatment, and recurrence rate of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the palate: a 10-year retrospective study

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is both invasive and clinically unpredictable, and our aim was to evaluate the factors that affect its recurrence in the palate. We retrospectively studied 38 patients who had ACC of the palate treated surgically, and the outcome measure was recurrence during the mean (SD) followup time of 55 (18) months. Age, sex, T-stage, bony involvement, duration of follow up, histological type, perineural invasion, and surgical margins were all recorded. Results showed no association between recurrence, and age or histopathological types. However, T-stage (p=0.001), sex (p=0.04), and bony and perineural involvement (p=0.01 in each case) were significantly associated with recurrent tumour. Close superior and posterior margins (< 2mm) were also associated with recurrence (p=0.001 in each case). Large tumours with bony and perineural involvement, together with close superior and posterior surgical margins, had a higher risk of recurrence.