Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the buccal vestibule: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Minor salivary gland tumors of the buccal vestibule are relatively rare. Adenoid cystic carcinoma is the fifth most common salivary gland malignancy following mucoepidermoid carcinoma, adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified (NOS), acinic cell adenocarcinoma and polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA). Greater than half of adenoid cystic carcinomas occur in the parotid and submandibular glands. The most common intraoral site is the palate. Adenoid cystic carcinoma tends to have a protracted clinical course with wide infiltration and late distant metastases. We present a case of an adenoid cystic carcinoma of the buccal vestibule in a 59-year-old Caucasian female patient that she had been aware of for 15 years.