Although fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) has been widely accepted as a valuable tool for differential diagnosis of head and neck tumors, the diagnostic value of FNAB in the management of salivary gland tumors has been questioned. This case report presents a patient with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of parotid gland diagnosed as pleomorphic adenoma by FNAB and discusses the pitfalls in the diagnosis of malignant salivary gland tumors.

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is the most common benign salivary gland tumor. Being pleomorphic, its histologic characteristics can be considerably varied, showing epithelial (ductal and non-ductal) cells and mesenchyme-like tissues (chondroid, myxoid, and osseous). Here, we present a rare case of a 76-year-old female presenting with a 2.0 cm PA with an epidermoid cyst of minor salivary glands on the soft palate.

The most common benign salivary gland tumor is pleomorphic adenoma. It affects major and minor salivary glands. Minor salivary gland tumors constitute <20% of all salivary gland neoplasms. Most minor salivary gland tumors occur on the palate. We present the case of a patient with pleomorphic adenoma that developed at a rare intraoral location. This patient presented to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Seoul National University Dental Hospital.

Pleomorphic adenoma is the most common benign tumor of the salivary glands. About 80-90% of pleomorphic adenoma occurs in the parotid gland and about 5-10% of them occur in the submandibular gland and sublingual gland. The rest proportion comprises the minor salivary glands. The palate is the most common area, followed by the lips and the cheeks. Pleomorphic adenoma of the submandibular gland shows clinically a slow-growing, painless mass found on submandibular aspect. In this case report, we report a case of pleomorphic adenoma of the right submandibular gland in a 63-year old female patient who was referred from the department of neurosurgery, due to the heterogenous mass detected by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (Ca ex PA) is an uncommon malignant tumor. It is an aggressive salivary carcinoma, arising from a primary or recurrent benign pleomorphic adenoma (PA). The most common clinical presentation of Ca ex PA is a firm mass in the parotid gland. Here we report a case of Ca ex PA, arising from a recurrent benign PA in the right parotid gland, in a 70-year old female patient. The lesion was first diagnosed as a PA and a superficial parotidectomy was performed. Re-operation was performed for recurrent PA. The second recurrence was diagnosed as Ca ex PA.

Pleomorphic adenoma is the most common benign tumor of the salivary glands. About 90% of these tumors occur in the parotid gland and 10% of them occur in the minor salivary glands. The most common sites for pleomorphic adenoma of the minor salivary glands are the palate, followed by the lips and the cheeks. Pleomorphic adenoma of the palate presents clinically as a painless, slow-growing mass found on posterior lateral aspect. In this case report, we report a case of pleomorphic adenoma of the palate in a 36-year old male patient whose initial diagnosis was vascular mass such as hemangioma or lymphangiohemangioma by preoperative CT and MRI.

Lysyl oxidase (LOX) family, the copper dependent amine oxidase, oxidizes lysine residues in extracellular collagen and elastin. LOX increases the strength of the extracellular matrix and plays an important role in tumor development and metastasis. It has been reported that increased LOX protein and RNA are found in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Moreover some studies regarded LOX as a prognostic marker of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. However there has not been any report on LOX expression of salivary gland tumors. Here, we investigated LOX expression in mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of salivary gland and compare it to those of pleomorphic adenoma (PA). We evaluated LOX expression in eighteen MEC, eighteen ACC and twenty PA cases by immunohistochemical examination. Whereas PA showed relatively low density of LOX expression, ACC revealed more cases that showing high staining intensities for LOX. Significantly increased LOX expression was found in the cases of ACC when compared to those of PA (P = 0.010).

Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma is a rare malignant salivary gland tumor. The carcinomatous component of the carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma is mostly one type such as adenocarcinoma NOS, salivary duct carcinoma and undifferentiated carcinoma. We present a case of carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma including two carcinomatous components. The tumor occurred in the palate of a 70-year-old man. Histopathologically, the tumor was composed of both benign pleomorphic adenoma and the carcinoma area that showed adenocarcinoma NOS and squamous cell carcinoma. Finally this case was diagnosed as carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma including two carcinomatous components

Malignant mixed tumor is an aggressive malignant neoplasm composed of heterologous malignant epithelial and stromal components. It is a rare neoplasm, accounting for 0.05 % of all salivary gland tumors and 0.16 % of all malignant salivary gland tumors. The tumor may occur in the background of a preexisting pleomorphic adenoma or may arise de novo. We report on an 84-year-old female who was diagnosed with carcinosarcoma on her left parotid gland. Microscopically, the tumor consisted of two components - mainly myxoid chondrosarcoma (75%), poorly differentiated carcinoma and a few remnants of benign pleomorphic adenoma in the periphery of the tumor.