The role of bronchoscopy and gastroscopy in intraoral minor salivary gland carcinomas at initial staging

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC) is a low-grade malignancy with infiltrative growth pattern. It affects mainly the minor salivary glands of adult women. The most frequent locations of this tumor are the palate and tongue. HCCC shows a poorly circumscribed, infiltrative, and essentially monomorphic population of clear cells with few mitoses and almost no nuclear or cellular pleomorphism. These cells form trabeculae, cords, islands, and/or nests, circumscribed by variable amounts of hyalinized fibrous bands with foci of myxohyaline stroma. S-100 protein, muscle-specific actin, smooth muscle actin, myosin, and calponin are consistently negative, which strongly indicates the absence of myoepithelial cell differentiation in this tumor. We present a case of HCCC affecting the upper vestibule in a 53-year-old man. The patient was treated by surgery and postoperative radiation and did not show recurrence or distant metastases 3 years after treatment. Discussed also are the clinical and pathologic features of this tumor along with the differential diagnosis and a literature review.

Review of salivary papers published in the British Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery during 2009-2010

The management of salivary gland disease forms an appreciable part of the work undertaken by our specialty. Fast-track and one-stop clinics for head and neck lumps allow for early diagnosis of salivary gland tumours in most units, and for the sharing of cases between our ear, nose and throat (ENT) colleagues. The emphasis on benign salivary gland disease is very much on outcome after operation, and there have been improvements in surgical technique, particularly in relation to minimal dissection of salivary adenomas and sialendoscopy. This article continues a series of reviews, which aim to provide readers with a quick overview and update of recent publications in the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (BJOMS) within a particular subspecialty.

A case of metastatic mucoepidermoid carcinoma complicated by resistant hypercalcemia

Tumors of salivary glands are uncommon and comprise of about 2%–4% of all head and neck tumors. About 75%–80% of these tumors are benign and include pleomorphic adenoma, monomorphic adenoma, oncocytoma, and papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of salivary glands, representing 5–10% of all salivary gland tumors. Although known to be metastatic to local lymph nodes, distant metastases are rare (especially, with low and intermediate grade tumors). Histologic grade and the expression of various mucin glycoproteins are useful prognostic indicators. We present a case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of parotid gland origin with distant metastases which is an uncommon occurrence with intermediate grade tumors. Also, this is the first reported case of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy secondary to mucoepidermoid carcinoma.