title: Molecular biology of adenoid cystic carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an unusual salivary gland malignancy that remains poorly understood. Standard treatment, including surgery with postoperative radiation therapy, has attained reasonable local control rates, but the propensity for distant metastases has limited any improvement in survival over time. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving ACC is quite rudimentary, due to the infrequent nature of its occurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  An extensive literature review was performed on salivary gland ACCs and basic science research findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This review highlights many findings that are emerging about the carcinogenesis of ACC including cytogenetics, tumor suppressor genes, oncogenes, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial alterations, and biomarker studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there have been many discoveries, much still remains unknown about this rare malignancy. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011.
authors: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors: Jia
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: Chunbo
authors: C
authors: Shao
authors: Marietta L
authors: ML
authors: Tan
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Mu
authors: Robert L
authors: RL
authors: Ferris
authors: Patrick K
authors: PK
authors: Ha
mesh_terms: D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy