Treatment outcomes of patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the airway.
BACKGROUND
Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the airway is a slowly growing tumor and airway narrowing is one of the main causes of death. The purposes of this study were to investigate treatment outcomes, prognostic factors, and the indications and outcomes of bronchoscopic interventions in patients with ACC of the airway.


METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, and clinical outcomes of patients with histologically-proven ACC of the airway treated between January 1995 and June 2009 at Samsung Medical Center.


RESULTS
A total of 30 patients were included in the study. Sixteen patients were male and the median age was 45 years. Multiple treatment modalities were required for the patients; 17 for surgery, 13 for definitive radiation therapy, 10 for adjuvant radiation therapy, and 1 for adjuvant chemotherapy. Bronchoscopic interventions were required to improve airway narrowing in 20 patients. After bronchoscopic intervention, 19 patients (95%) showed immediate improvement of airway narrowing and suffered no serious complications. The 5- and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates in these patients were 84% and 70%, respectively. The prognostic factors associated with OS were tumor size, tumor location, clinical T stage, surgery as an initial treatment, and bronchoscopic intervention.


CONCLUSIONS
ACC of the airway had a good long-term prognosis but bronchoscopic interventions were frequently required during the course of the disease due to the development of airway narrowing. Bronchoscopic interventions may be considered as a bridge therapy before surgery or radiation therapy and as a palliative therapy for airway narrowing.
Lee
Jong Hoo
JH
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-Dong, Kangnam-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jung
Eun Jung
EJ
Jeon
Kyeongman
K
Koh
Won-Jung
WJ
Suh
Gee Young
GY
Chung
Man Pyo
MP
Kim
Hojoong
H
Kwon
O Jung
OJ
Shim
Young Mog
YM
Kim
Jhingook
J
Han
Joungho
J
Um
Sang-Won
SW
D000328:Adult; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010166:Palliative Care; D011379:Prognosis; D011878:Radiotherapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome