Acinic cell carcinoma staging

Acinic Cell Carcinoma Staging

Swathi Venkatesan, M.B.B.S.[1]

Clinical stage, particularly tumor size, may be the critical factor to determine the outcome of salivary gland cancer and may be more important than histologic grade.

• Staging of acinic cell carcinoma depends on tumor size and location
• In general, tumors of the major salivary glands are staged according to
  • Size
  • Extraparenchymal extension
  • Lymph node involvement (in parotid tumors, whether or not the facial nerve is involved)
  • Presence of metastases
• Tumors arising in the minor salivary glands are staged according to the anatomic site of origin (e.g., oral cavity and sinuses)
• Diagnostic imaging studies may be used in staging. With excellent spatial resolution and superior soft tissue contrast, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers advantages over computed tomographic scanning in the detection and localization of head and neck tumors.
• Overall, MRI is the preferred modality for evaluation of suspected neoplasms of the salivary glands.