SALIVARY DUCT CARCINOMA

Salivary duct carcinoma is an uncommon malignant tumor that occurs mai nly in the parotid gland of elderly men. The 11 cases of salivary duct carcinoma which are included in this study occurred in older men (mea n age 56 years) and were located in the parotid (7), submandibular sal ivary gland (2), and the minor salivary glands in the maxilla (2). The maximum tumor dimension ranged from 3 to 9 cm. Microscopically, all h ad infiltrating margins, with circumscribed groups of epithelial cells arranged in various patterns; the invasive component was embedded in a desmoplastic stroma. Perineural invasion and lymph node metastasis w ere noted in seven and three cases, respectively, at the time of initi al surgery. Radical surgery was offered to ten patients and postoperat ive radiotherapy to nine patients. Salivary duct carcinoma appears to be an aggressive tumor with distinctive histological features, which h as not been described in the minor salivary glands of the maxilla to d ate. The clinicopathologic features of these tumors are presented, wit h a review of the literature. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.