Malignant mixed tumor
The tumor is arising in a previously existed pleomorphic adenoma or theoretically it may start as a de novo malignant mixed tumor. This event is occurring in 5 -7 % of the mixed tumors, generally after having existed as such for more than 15 -20 years. The cells are malignant epithelial, myoepithelial cells admixed sometimes […]
Mammary like Secretory carcinoma of the Salivary Gland
This is a recently described entity which seems to be significantly more important and common as we have thought. The first description comes from A. Skalova: It is a mimic of acinic cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of clear cell type, usually the granules of the acinic cell carcinoma cells is missing. The until now described […]
Epithelial / myoepithelial carcinoma
The tumor is composed of two cell types which form duct-like structures: ductal cells (inner layer), clear myoepithelial cells (outer layer). They can be distinguished by immunocytochemistry: the former are pan-keratin positive, the latter are S-100 positive. The cytology is that of a malignant clear cell tumor, with varying degrees of cellular and nuclear atypia. […]
Malignant myoepithelioma
This uncommon tumor is composed of malignant myoepithelial cells arranged in an infiltrative growing pattern and showing high mitotic activity. The cytology is that of a highly malignant tumor, the cells are rounded or elongated, marked nuclear atypia is present. Many bare atypical nuclei are usually visible. In some occasion cytoplasmic vacuolization, nuclear and cytoplasmic […]
Squamous cell carcinoma, Undifferentiated carcinoma
This tumor is similar to the same type of tumors found in other anatomical sites: keratinizing or non-keratinizing atypical squamous cells are found in true tissue fragments, as well as in cell clusters. The center of the lesion is frequently colliquated and necrotic, which results in a fluid aspirate resembling purulent material. All well known […]
Other lesions of salivary glands
Haemangioma of the infants It is usually a congenital, large and painless lesion. The aspirate contains a large amount of blood in which proliferative endothelial cells are seen. Since it is usually only followed up without surgery, the correct diagnosis in this early age is very important. Congenital lesion, following puberty it disappears. Still it […]
Myoepithelial adenoma
The smears show monomorphous spindle-shaped or plasmacytoid cells, clean background, no or just very little normal salivary gland epithelium. The chondromyxoid stroma is not present (if present, the tumor is called ‘mixed tumor’). The nuclei are round or elongated. No mitotic figures are present. Metachromatic fragments may be found, but they do not correspond to […]
Adenoid cystic carcinoma
This is an infiltrative ‘basaloid’ tumor, which is the most common malignant tumor in the salivary glands. It is a slow growing but highly malignant carcinoma. The appearance is similar to that of the cylindroma of the sweat glands in the skin; however the tumor localized to the skin is regarded as benign, whereas the […]
Basal cell adenoma
There is a homogeneous population of small basaloid cells. Sometimes basal membrane-like fragments are present in the background, usually no adenoid cystic structures are seen (differential diagnosis with cylindroma). Typical basal cell smear: small, some times lymphocyte like cells in clusters or in true tissue fragments. The basal membrane material is usually present (A). Some […]
Acinic cell carcinoma
Acinic cell carcinoma occurs most frequently in the parotid gland. The former name was ‘acinic cell tumor’ because in some cases only very mild atypia is present. 2 7% of all salivary gland tumors belong to this group. There are four patterns: solid, microcystic, papillary-cystic, follicular. Four cell types are usually found in this […]