Diagnosis - Basophilic, bland cells similar to acinar cells - Growth patterns: solid, microcytic, papillary-cystic, follicular - Resembles serous acinar cells - Rare subtype of exocrine pancreatic cancer - Arises most frequently in the parotid gland

Prognosis - Five-year survival rates approaching 90% for acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland - 20-year survival exceeding 50% for acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland - High-grade transformation leads to significantly worse survival - Prognosis of acinic cell carcinoma in the lung is guarded but better than other types of lung cancer

Treatment - Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment - Post-operative radiation therapy is not needed if the tumor is completely removed - Post-operative radiation therapy is used in certain cases - Neutron beam radiation and conventional radiation are options - Chemotherapy may be used

Epidemiology - Acinic cell carcinoma appears in all age groups - Median age of presentation is approximately 52 years - Common occurrence in children - Risk factors include external and internal radioactive exposure - Risk factors also include iodine and cesium radionuclides

Acinic cell carcinoma of the lung - Very rare variant of lung cancer - Classified among salivary gland-like carcinoma of the lung - Less than 1% of malignancies in the lower respiratory tract are acinic cell carcinomas