ACCRF - Building a community of interested researchers

The Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation (ACCRF) supports research into adenoid cystic carcinoma that will accelerate the development of improved therapies and a cure for the disease.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare cancer, typically originating in the salivary glands. Its course is both slow and persistent, leading to a relatively favorable prognosis on a five-year horizon, but a poor prognosis beyond 10 years, often due to metastasis to the lungs.

News & Updates

June 4, 2008
ACCRF Scientific Forum at the Salk Institute

January 25, 2008
ACCRF update on research and financial activities

May 22, 2007
ACCRF featured in the The Wall Street Journal



  • About 600 new cases annually in the United States.
  • No known causes. No links to smoking or alcohol consumption. Not inherited.
  • The median age of diagnosis is 43 years old, younger than for most cancers.
  • Slightly more women are diagnosed with ACC than men. Ethnicity is irrelevant.



  • ACC is an equal-opportunity disease that might strike anyone.
  • The National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society fund no ACC research.
  • Nearly 10% of Americans have a rare disease (afflicting fewer than 200,000 people). Research into rare diseases often provides insight into common diseases.


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