Objective:To study the relationship between CXCL12/CXCR4 expression and the neural invasion of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC).Methods: Totally 41 SACC specimens,30 tongue cancer specimens,20 pleomorphic adenoma specimens and 20 normal nerve specimens were included in the present study.The specimens were made into sections of 4 μm and EnVision method was used to detect the expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in SACC sections and the expression of the chemokine CXCL12 in the peripheral nerve tissue sections.Results: The chemokine receptor was highly expressed in ACC cells.The positive rate of CXCR4 was 63.41% in the SACC sections,which was significantly higher than those in the tongue cancer group (36.67%) and the pleomorphic adenoma parotid group (35%) (P<0.05).The expression of CXCL12 was not significantly different between the nerve tissues of SACC,tongue cancer and the normal nerve tissues.Conclusion: The chemokine CXCL12 is elevated in the SACC cells and its receptor CXCR4 is elevated in the peripheral nerve tissues,indicating a role of the biological axis of CXCL12/CXCR4 in the neural invasion of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma.