Extensive Craniofacial Resections for Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma in Head and Neck: Experience from a Single Center in Brazil

Introduction: Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare entity that represents 3 to 5% of head and neck malignancies. Perineural invasion is frequent and characteristic for these tumors and bone invasion may frequently be present. Surgical resection with free margins is the proposed treatment but skull base invasion represents a challenge in this context. Proximity to noble structures renders complete microscopic resection extremely hard to obtain in these cases and this topic is not frequently discussed. The unsatisfactory outcomes with chemotherapy are another challenge, and it limits the choices of treatment.