Misdiagnosis of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of Palate: A Case Report

 Neoplasms of the salivary glands are uncommon, accounting for approximately 3 to 5 percent of all head and neck tumors. Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare salivary gland malignancy with a poor survival rate because of a high rate of late local recurrence and distant metastasis.  

 This paper reports a misdiagnosis of palatal ACC via fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). A 27-year-old female with painful swelling in the right side of the palate underwent FNAC and was misdiagnosed with pleomorphic adenoma. During surgery, hemi-maxillectomy was performed due to the fragile consistency of the tissues.

 The tumor was found to be ACC after histopathologic evaluations. Hence, the patient underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy postoperatively.

 Given specific limitations and diagnostic pitfalls, it seems that pre neural and pre vascular invasion of tumors as a sign of malignancy should be noticed.