ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Rivista Italiana di Chirurgia Maxillo-Facciale 2001 April;12(1):33-6

Copyright © 2002 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the parotid gland. A clinico-pathological report with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study

Califano L., Mignogna M. D., Longo F., Mangone G. M., Giardino C.

From the Department of Oral and Maxillo-facial Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, School of Medicine, Naples, Italy

Small ­cell car­ci­no­ma (­SCC) of ­the sal­i­vary ­glands is a ­very ­rare ­tumor. The ­most com­mon ­site of ­SCC is ­lung (96%) ­and ­only rare­ly extra­pul­mo­nary ­sites ­have ­been ­described. ­SCC is divid­ed ­into ­two ­types: ­those ­with intra­cy­top­las­mat­ic gran­ules (Small ­cell neu­ro­en­do­crine car­ci­no­ma), ­and ­those with­out (Small ­cell duc­tal car­ci­no­ma). This dis­tinc­tion ­has a prog­nos­tic ­and ther­a­peu­tic val­ue. Thus ­far immu­no­his­to­chem­i­cal ­assay ­and/or elec­tron micros­co­py ­have ­been ­thought to be essen­tial ­for ­the diag­no­sis of ­SCC. A ­case of ­SCC ­with neu­ro­en­do­crine fea­tures dem­on­strat­ed by ­both immu­no­his­to­chem­i­cal ­assay ­and elec­tron micros­co­py is report­ed. Our find­ings ­stress ­the impor­tance of immu­no­his­to­chem­is­try ­that ­can be ­more sen­si­tive ­and use­ful ­than trans­mis­sion elec­tron micros­co­py.