Cribriform adenocarcinoma of the minor salivary gland arising in the tonsil with metastasis to a cervical lymph node: A case report with description of fine needle aspiration cytology

Abstract

Cribriform adenocarcinoma of minor salivary gland (CAMSG) is a rare tumor of the head and neck. We report a case of a 70-year-old female who presented with a 4-5-month history of a left neck mass. CT scan of the neck showed a left neck mass just inferior to the angle of the mandible and left tonsillar prominence. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the neck mass showed epithelial groups with focal cribriform architecture. The cells had round to oval nuclei and fine chromatin. The background contained scattered lymphocytes. A preliminary diagnosis of low grade adenocarcinoma with cribriform features metastatic to a lymph node was made. Subsequent biopsy of the tonsil mass showed a tumor with a combination of tubular, solid, and papillary architecture containing round to ovoid nuclei with very fine chromatin, consistent with cribriform adenocarcinoma of the minor salivary gland. Cribriform adenocarcinoma of minor salivary gland has a documented tendency to metastasize to cervical lymph nodes. Since this neoplasm can cytologically and histologically resemble other neoplasms of the head and neck, including polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA), papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and occasionally adenoid cystic carcinoma, being aware of and familiar with the cytologic features of CAMSG on FNA smears is important for patient management. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2017;45:468-471. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: aspiration cytology; cribriform adenocarcinoma of the minor salivary gland; head and neck cancer.