Lymphadenomatous carcinoma of the sublingual gland: report of a first case in an unusual localization.

Abstract

Lymphadenomatous carcinoma of the salivary gland is a very rare tumor, which hitherto occurred exclusively in the parotid gland. This report describes a case of lymphadenomatous carcinoma of the sublingual gland, which is thought to be the first report of this special entity. A 36-year-old man was seen with slowly growing mass on his right floor of mouth. Upon surgical removal, the mass was well encapsulated. Microscopic examination revealed a biphasic appearance with islands of neoplastic epithelial cells presenting against a dense lymphoid stroma, while the epithelial compartment showed features of malignancy. During 30-months of close follow-up, there has not been any sign of local recurrence or metastasis. The clinical behavior, the age of the patient, and the sublingual localization differentiate this lesion from the sebaceous type, favoring lymphadenomatous carcinoma as a distinct clinical entity.