title: Alveolar soft part sarcoma of the head and neck region.
abstract: Alveolar soft part sarcoma is a soft tissue malignancy most often found in the extremities of young adults; when these tumors arise in the head and neck area, they usually appear in the orbit or the tongue. Their initial behavior is relatively indolent, but over time a sizable number of these tumors recur locally and metastasize; as such, they are best regarded as fully malignant neoplasms. The derivation of these tumors remains uncertain: while some have suggested that these are tumors of muscle origin and others have postulated a neuroendocrine origin, the evidence accumulated to date is conflicting, and so these neoplasms continue to be regarded as tumors of uncertain origin. Surgical excision is the mainstay of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: K O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Devaney
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferlito
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rinaldo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018234:Sarcoma, Alveolar Soft Part / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery