Malignant transformation of a Warthin tumor: case report, review of the literature, and discussion of pathology.
Papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum (Warthin's tumor) is generally considered to be a benign tumor. However, a few well-documented cases of malignant transformation have been reported. In each case, the patient had received radiotherapy to the neck region where the tumor later developed. This paper reports a case of malignant transformation of a papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum (PCL) in a patient who had not received radiotherapy. Light and electron microscopy documented this transformation and clearly identified the malignant portion of the tumor as having its origin in a benign PCL. The literature is reviewed and a discussion of pathology presented.
D000235:Adenolymphoma / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure