Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Lacrimal Gland Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma with High-Grade Transformation to Myoepithelial Carcinoma: Report of a Case and Review of Literature

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Head and Neck Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) is the most frequent malignant neoplasm of the lacrimal glands. Like its salivary gland counterpart, lacrimal AdCC can rarely undergo high-grade transformation (“dedifferentiation”). We herein report the clinical, radiographic and microscopic findings of a lacrimal gland AdCC with high grade transformation, occurring in a 39-year-old female patient. In contrast to salivary gland AdCC with high-grade transformation, which usually shows a high grade component with “ductal” differentiation, in the case presented, the “dedifferentiated” component showed morphologic and immunohistochemical features of myoepithelial differentiation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

References

  1. Zeng J, Shi JT, Li B, et al. Epithelial tumors of the lacrimal gland in the Chinese: a clinicopathologic study of 298 patients. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2010;248:1345–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Weis E, Rootman J, Joly TJ, et al. Epithelial lacrimal gland tumors: pathologic classification and current understanding. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127:1016–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Snaathorst J, Sewnaik A, Paridaens D, de Krijger RR, van der Meij EH. Primary epithelial tumors of the lacrimal gland; a retrospective analysis of 22 patients. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2009;38:751–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kamio N, Tanaka Y, Mukai M, et al. A hybrid carcinoma: adenoid cystic carcinoma and salivary duct carcinoma of the salivary gland. An immunohistochemical study. Virchows Arch. 1997;430:495–500.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Croitoru CM, Suarez PA, Luna MA. Hybrid carcinomas of salivary glands. Report of 4 cases and review of the literature. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1999;123:698–702.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Snyder ML, Paulino AF. Hybrid carcinoma of the salivary gland: salivary duct adenocarcinoma adenoid cystic carcinoma. Histopathology. 1999;35:380–3.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Nagao T, Sugano I, Ishida Y, et al. Hybrid carcinomas of the salivary glands: report of nine cases with a clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical, and p53 gene alteration analysis. Mod Pathol. 2002;15:724–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Woo JS, Kwon SY, Jung KY, Kim I. A hybrid carcinoma of epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma in maxillary sinus. J Korean Med Sci. 2004;19:462–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Cheuk W, Chan JK, Ngan RK. Dedifferentiation in adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary gland: an uncommon complication associated with an accelerated clinical course. Am J Surg Pathol. 1999;23:465–72.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Chau Y, Hongyo T, Aozasa K, Chan JK. Dedifferentiation of adenoid cystic carcinoma: report of a case implicating p53 gene mutation. Hum Pathol. 2001;32:1403–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Ide F, Mishima K, Saito I. Small foci of high-grade carcinoma cells in adenoid cystic carcinoma represent an incipient phase of dedifferentiation. Histopathology. 2003;43:604–6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Nagao T, Gaffey TA, Serizawa H, et al. Dedifferentiated adenoid cystic carcinoma: a clinicopathologic study of 6 cases. Mod Pathol. 2003;16:1265–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Sato K, Ueda Y, Sakurai A, et al. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the maxillary sinus with gradual histologic transformation to high-grade adenocarcinoma: a comparative report with dedifferentiated carcinoma. Virchows Arch. 2006;448:204–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Seethala RR, Hunt JL, Baloch ZW, Livolsi VA. Leon Barnes E. Adenoid cystic carcinoma with high-grade transformation: a report of 11 cases and a review of the literature. Am J Surg Pathol. 2007;31:1683–94.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Costa AF, Altemani A, Vekony H, et al. Genetic profile of adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) with high-grade transformation versus solid type. Anal Cell Pathol (Amst). 2010;33:217–28.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Terasaki M, Tokutomi T, Maruiwa H, Sugita Y, Harada H, Shigemori M. High-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma originating from the lacrimal gland. Brain Tumor Pathol. 2000;17:159–63.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Panarelli JF, Zoumalan CI, Mukkamala K, Maher EA, Iacob C. Della Rocca DA. Dedifferentiated adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011;27:e119–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Font RL, Croxatto JO, Rao NA. Tumors of the lacrimal gland. Tumors of the eye and ocular adnexa Silver Spring. MD: ARP & AFIP Publications; 2006. p. 223–46.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Wright JE, Rose GE, Garner A. Primary malignant neoplasms of the lacrimal gland. Br J Ophthalmol. 1992;76:401–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Lin YC, Chen KC, Lin CH, Kuo KT, Ko JY, Hong RL. Clinicopathological features of salivary and non-salivary adenoid cystic carcinomas. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2012;41:354–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Ahmad SM, Esmaeli B, Williams M, et al. American joint committee on cancer classification predicts outcome of patients with lacrimal gland adenoid cystic carcinoma. Ophthalmology. 2009;116:1210–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Gamel JW, Font RL. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland: the clinical significance of a basaloid histologic pattern. Hum Pathol. 1982;13:219–25.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Seethala RR. Histologic grading and prognostic biomarkers in salivary gland carcinomas. Adv Anat Pathol. 2011;18:29–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Costa AF, Altemani A, Hermsen M. Current concepts on dedifferentiation/high-grade transformation in salivary gland tumors. Pathol Res Int. 2011;2011:325965.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Seethala RR, Cieply K, Barnes EL, Dacic S. Progressive genetic alterations of adenoid cystic carcinoma with high-grade transformation. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2011;135:123–30.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Mitani Y, Li J, Rao PH, Zhao YJ, Bell D, Lippman SM, Weber RS, Caulin C, El-Naggar AK. Comprehensive analysis of the MYB-NFIB gene fusion in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma: incidence, variability, and clinicopathologic significance. Clin Cancer Res. 2010;16:4722–31.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Brill LB, 2nd, Kanner WA, Fehr A, Andren Y, Moskaluk CA, Loning T, Stenman G, Frierson HF Jr. Analysis of MYB expression and MYB-NFIB gene fusions in adenoid cystic carcinoma and other salivary neoplasms. Mod Pathol. 2011;24:1169–76.

    Google Scholar 

  28. West RB, Kong C, Clarke N, Gilks T, Lipsick JS, Cao H, Kwok S, Montgomery KD, Varma S, Le QT. MYB expression and translocation in adenoid cystic carcinomas and other salivary gland tumors with clinicopathologic correlation. Am J Surg Pathol. 2011;35:92–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Mr. Jonathan Henriksen, University of Minnesota for his superb assistance with the illustrations.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Prokopios P. Argyris & Konstantinos I. Tosios

  2. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Stefan E. Pambuccian & Charanjeet Singh

  3. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Minnesota Medical Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Zuzan Cayci

  4. Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, 515 Delaware Street, SE 16-206B, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Ioannis G. Koutlas

Authors
  1. Prokopios P. Argyris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stefan E. Pambuccian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zuzan Cayci
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Charanjeet Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Konstantinos I. Tosios
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ioannis G. Koutlas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ioannis G. Koutlas.

Additional information

Dr Argyris was a fellow at the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Argyris, P.P., Pambuccian, S.E., Cayci, Z. et al. Lacrimal Gland Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma with High-Grade Transformation to Myoepithelial Carcinoma: Report of a Case and Review of Literature. Head and Neck Pathol 7, 85–92 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-012-0383-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-012-0383-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation