CASE REPORT   

Chirurgia 2019 October;32(5):253-8

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-9508.18.04878-7

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

A late solitary liver metastasis from pleomorphic salivary adenoma

Nicolò FABBRI ✉ ¹, Domenico REALE ², Gloria FERROCCI ¹, Emanuela GHISELLINI ³, Giancarlo PANSINI ¹

¹ Division of General Surgery, Department of Morphology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, S. Anna Hospital, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; ² Institute of Anatomical Pathology, Department of Oncology/Specialistic Medicine, S. Anna Hospital, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; ³ University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

Pleomorphic adenoma (also known as mixed tumour) is the most common neoplasm of the salivary glands. It is usually a benign, slow-growing and well-circumscribed lesion. Metastasizing pleomorphic salivary adenoma is extremely rare, occurring in less than 1% of patients with pleomorphic adenoma. There are very few reports of a subset of these tumours metastasizing to distant sites without undergoing malignant transformation. There are as yet no statistics for this pathology - some aspects continue to be controversial and any patient may represent a diagnostic dilemma for the surgical oncologist and the cancer pathologist. A definitive diagnosis usually requires radical surgery, if possible. We present a review of the literature and an unusual case of a large liver mass found incidentally in an 87-year-old female. The patient was eligible for surgery and a successful liver resection was performed. The liver tumour was found to be a very large metastasis of pleomorphic adenoma with unharmed resection margins. This diagnosis is extremely rare and our patient seems to represent the oldest case described to date.

KEY WORDS: Salivary gland adenoma, pleomorphic; Liver neoplasms; Neoplasm metastasis.