Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2021 Dec;15(4):1385-1390.
doi: 10.1007/s12105-021-01299-4. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Co-expression of Myoepithelial and Melanocytic Features in Carcinoma Ex Pleomorphic Adenoma

Costantino Ricci  1   2 , Federico Chiarucci  3 , Francesca Ambrosi  4 , Tiziana Balbi  5 , Barbara Corti  5 , Ottavio Piccin  6 , Ernesto Pasquini  7 , Maria Pia Foschini  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Co-expression of Myoepithelial and Melanocytic Features in Carcinoma Ex Pleomorphic Adenoma

Costantino Ricci et al. Head Neck Pathol. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

The presence of melanin pigment and melanocytic markers expression have been rarely reported in salivary gland tumors. Herein, two cases of carcinoma arising in pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland and showing diffuse expression of myoepithelial and melanocytic markers are described. The clinical-pathological clues useful in the differential diagnosis with melanoma are discussed. In addition, a review of the pertinent literature is also proposed, discussing the pathologic mechanisms potentially involved in this phenomenon.

Keywords: Carcinoma; Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma; Melanocytic markers; Melanoma; Melanoma metastasis; Parotid gland; Pleomorphic adenoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Maria Pia Foschini received grants from Roche, Devicor Mammotome as support for courses organization and participation; from MSD and Biocartis as speaker fee. The remaining Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest related to the present work.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(Case#1). The C component merged with the PA but showed infiltration of the capsule and extension into the surrounding salivary gland parenchyma (a and b; H&E, original magnification × 10 and × 50). It showed a predominance of monotonous, mildly atypical and intermediated-size spindle cells, intermixed with scattered epithelioid and multinucleated ones (c; H&E, original magnification × 200). The neoplastic cells are positive for SOX10 (d original magnification × 150), S-100 (e original magnification × 150) and negative for MITF (f original magnification × 150). C: carcinoma; PA: pleomorphic adenoma; H&E: hematoxylin and eosin; SOX10: SRY-related HMG-box 10; S-100: protein S-100; MITF: Microphthalmia transcription factor
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(Case#2). Pattern-less proliferation with only focally and peripherally located ductal/cribriform appearance, displaying permeative and infiltrative margins and a hyaline and focally myxoid nodular area suggestive for a pre-existing PA (a and b; H&E, original magnification × 10 and × 50). It showed a mixture of highly pleomorphic epithelioid, spindle and giant cells, with numerous atypical mitoses (c; H&E, original magnification × 200). The neoplastic cells are positive for SOX10 (d original magnification × 200), S-100 (scattered positive cells) (e original magnification × 200) and MITF (f original magnification × 200). PA: pleomorphic adenoma; H&E: hematoxylin and eosin; SOX10: SRY-related HMG-box 10; S-100: protein S-100; MITF: Microphthalmia transcription factor
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. El-Naggar AK, Chan JKC, Grandis JR, et al., editors. WHO Classification of Head and Neck Tumours. 4. Lyon: IARC; 2017.
    1. Aufdemorte TB, Van Sickels JE, Glass BJ. Melanin pigmentation in a mucoepidermoid tumor of a minor salivary gland. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1985;43(11):876–879. doi: 10.1016/0278-2391(85)90226-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Takeda Y, Satoh M, Nakamura S. Pigmented pleomorphic adenoma, a novel melanin-pigmented benign salivary gland tumor. Virchows Arch. 2004;445(2):199–202. doi: 10.1007/s00428-004-1050-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Takeda Y, Kurose A. Pigmented mucoepidermoid carcinoma, a case report and review of the literature on melanin-pigmented salivary gland tumors. J Oral Sci. 2006;48(4):253–256. doi: 10.2334/josnusd.48.253. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sekine J, Anami M, Fujita S, et al. A case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma with melanin pigmentation manifested in the palate. Virchows Arch. 2005;446(4):460–462. doi: 10.1007/s00428-005-1213-7. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources