In 1859, Billroth used the term ""Zylindrome"" to describe a tumor arising in the paranasal sinuses. This neoplasm has been referred to by a variety of terms including cylindroma, basaloma, basaloid adenoma, cribriform adenocarcinoma, and ""adenoid cystic carcinoma"", now preferred by most authors. It most often arises in the major and minor salivary glands of the head and neck but has been noted in the trachea, lung, breast, skin and elsewhere. The tumors are characterized by a high incidence of local recurrence and ultimate distant metastases after aggressive attempts at surgical excision. Radiation therapy, while not curative, has proved uniformly useful in promoting tumor regression and pain relief as a palliative treatment. The present study was undertaken to reivew our experience with a group of 44 patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck, diagnosed at the Jeonju Presbyterian Medical Center between 1963 and 1980. The results are as follows : 1) Age at diagnosis ranged from 19 to 78 years ; the average age was 50. 2) Of the 44 patients, there were 21 males and 23 females. 3) Forty-four cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma represented 40% of the total malignant salivary gland tumors and 3.8% of the total malignant tumor of the head and neck region during the same interval. 4) The most common primary sites were the palate (8 cases) and submandibular gland (8 cases). 5) Thirteen patients (31%) had tumors that arose in the major salivary glands ; 31 patients (69%), minor salivary glands. 6) The tumor size ranged from 4 to 6 cm in their greatest dimension in 10 patients. Clinically positive cervical lymph nodes were found in 7 patients ; distant metastasis only in one patient at the time of diagnosis. 7) Radical excision was employed in 27 patients, 14 of whom combined with radiotheraphy. 8) Of 29 patients available for 3-year follow-up, the gross and determinate 3-year survival rates were 27.6% and 44.4%, respectively. Among 12 patients who received radical excision the 3-year survival rate was 75%. 9) Ten of these 44 patients had local recurrence in an interval of 3 to 88 months from the initial treatment. Of ten recurrences, three occurred after 5 years. 10) Distant metastasis was found in three of the treated patients. All were pulmonary metastasis.