Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine - Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

Salivary gland cancers (SGCs) are rare tumors representing only 5% of head and neck neoplasms. They present the most diverse group of neoplasms having biological, histological and clinical diversity. This diversity represents a challenge for diagnosis, classification and management of these cancers. Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare epithelial tumor that accounts for 1% of all cancers of the head and neck region. It is the second most common SGC, comprising 7.5% of all SGCs and is considered to be one of the most virulent human SGCs due to its tendency to hematogenous spread and invasion to local and distant tissues. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are defined cells within a tumor that possess the capacity to self-renew and to induce the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells that comprise the tumor and has been shown to be the culprits for therapeutic resistance, recurrence and metastasis.CD133 (prominin-1) is a member of the transmembrane glycoprotein family. It was recognized as an important marker to identify and isolate the specific cell subpopulation termed CSCs. The aim of this work was to evaluate the area percent of CD133 immunoexpression in different patterns of ACC in comparison with normal salivary gland tissue and correlate this expression with the biological behavior of the tumor

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