Objective, The objective of this study is to report a series of patients wi
th adenomatous ductal proliferation of the salivary gland and to investigat
e the nature and histogenesis of this process.
Study design. The histologic and immunohistochemical studies of 13 patients
with adenomatous ductal proliferation of the salivary gland were performed
.
Results. Ten cases coexisted with other diseases, such as salivary gland tu
mor or chronic parotitis. Most of the lesions were limited to 1 or 2 lobule
s and showed prominent ductal proliferation with some acinar cell complexes
. The proliferative ducts had a compact growth pattern with little stroma.
Dedifferentiation of acinar cells, identified by the loss of their secretor
y granules and appearing similar to intercalated duct epithelium, was seen
in the early stages of adenomatous ductal proliferation.
Conclusion. Acinar cells play a role in the histogenesis of salivary gland
tumors because acinar cells clearly participate in the formation of the pro
liferative ducts.