Which of the following head and neck tumor has the worst prognosis? -: (A) Adenoid cystic carcinoma, (B) Acinic cell carcinoma, (C) Cystadenolymphoma, (D) Mucoepidermoid carcinoma
Answer is A. Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (Cylindroma)This is a highly malignant tumor due to its typical infiltrativenature, especially along the nerve sheaths. Adenoidcystic carcinoma is histologically characterized by cribriformappearance i.e. the epithelial tumor cells of duct-lining andmyoepithelial cells are arranged in duct-like structures ormasses of cells, having typical fenestrations or cyst-likespaces and hence the name 'adenoid cystic'. HARSH MOHAN Textbook of pathology 6th edition pg no 537