Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the mandible : Case report

Abstract

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC) is an uncommon salivary gland malignancy which  can also develop in the mucus glands of the larynx, trachea, bronchus, lungs and mammary glands besides the head and neck region (1). The most frequently affected  sites are the parotid gland, sub-mandibular gland and palate, whereas the lower lip, retromolar tonsillar pillar regions and sublingual gland are less frequently affected (2). Very rarely, ACC may arise centrally within the jawbones comprising less than 0.4% of  all salivary gland carcinomas. It usually occurs in the posterior mandible of adults where it causes pain due to perineural invasion (neurotropism) (1,2,3) to the best of our knowledge, only 17 cases of centrally located/primary intraosseous ACC have been  reported in literature (2). We hereby report a case of primary intraosseous adenoid cystic carcinoma involving the mandible of a 43 year old man.