Assessing Morphological Diversity of Acinic Cell Carcinoma of Salivary Glands at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan.

INTRODUCTION

Acinic cell carcinoma (AciCC) is a rare clinical entity and a salivary gland malignancy. It is associated with wide histological variations in the cytomorphological patterns.

METHODS

Sixty cases diagnosed as AciCC from 2002 to 2023 were assessed for diverse cytomorphological patterns.

RESULTS

The mean age of patients at the time of diagnosis was 44.35±16.8 years ranging from 15 to 81 years. Females comprised 58.3% for a F: M ratio of 1.4:1. Fifty three cases (88.3%) occurred in the parotid gland, two cases in the nasal region (3.3%), and one case each in the soft plate and upper lip (1.7%). The location of the remaining three cases was not specified. The most common presenting complaint was a well-defined facial swelling associated with pain. The average tumor size was 3.8±1.9 cm. The most predominant architectural pattern was solid (83.3%) followed by microcystic (60%), then follicular (41.7%), papillary cystic (14.3%), and tubulocystic (28.6%), and AciCC with de-differentiation/high-grade transformation was reported in three cases (5%). In 83.3% of the cases (50 out of 60), we noticed a mixture of two or more growth patterns. Other degenerative changes included prominent lymphoid stroma, hemorrhage, and cystic change.

CONCLUSION

Awareness and recognition of diverse cytomorphological patterns of AciCC, especially in institutions of a developing country where there is limited availability of highly specific and sensitive immunohistochemical stains or molecular diagnostics, are crucial and essential.