L'atteinte du sinus caverneux dans le carcinome adenoïde systique

Introduction: Head and neck adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a malignant epithelial neoplasm, developing from salivary gland tissue. Cavernous sinus and skull base invasion by perinervous spread is a particular behavior of this tumor entity. We report two cases of cavernous sinus invasion.Cases report: The first one was originated in the parotid gland, invaded infratemporal fossa and extended to cavernous sinus through perineural infiltration along trigeminal nerve. Second case of ACC was developed in submandibular gland. An invasion of cavernous sinus was observed two years later despite a surgical resection with post operative chemoradiotherapy.Discussion: ACC is characterized by locally aggressive invasion and a strong tendency to recur. Perineural spread extension is common in ACC, as a precursor of skull base invasion and cavernous sinus involvment along the mandibular, maxillary and facial nerves. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a higher sensitivity and specificity in detecting perineural spread. Surgical therapy is the choice treatment although complete resection is not possible in all cases due to the infiltration andperineural spread. So, radiation therapy is considered effective, and has been used successfully in ACC invading cavernous sinus. The place of chemotherapy has yet to be determinate. The prognosis of these extensive tumors is bad because high frequency of local recurrence and distant metastases.Key-words: adenoid cystic carcinoma, cavernous sinus, skull base, perineural invasion.