Fine needle aspiration of basal cell adenocarcinoma of the parotid gland. Report of a case with assessment of DNA ploidy in aspirates and tissue sections by image analysis.
BACKGROUND
Basal cell adenocarcinoma of the parotid gland is a low grade malignant neoplasm. It has cytologic features of basal cell adenoma and a histologically infiltrative growth pattern of malignant tumors with perineural and vascular invasion.


METHODS
Fine needle aspiration biopsy findings of basal cell adenocarcinoma of the parotid gland in a 77-year-old male were supplemented by DNA ploidy analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
No single cytologic feature was found to unequivocally distinguish this lesion from basal cell adenoma and/or solid variant of adenoid cystic carcinoma. Therefore, for diagnostic purposes, we grouped all three lesions under the term basal cell tumor. Evaluation of DNA content of tumor cells revealed diploid histograms in both cytologic material and paraffin-embedded tissue. Infiltrative tumor nests, the histologic basis for differentiating basal cell adenocarcinoma from adenoma, showed the same diploid pattern. Though DNA quantitation may not discriminate basal cell adenoma from basal cell adenocarcinoma, it may prove useful in separating them from adenoid cystic carcinoma, which is considered to be a tumor with high malignant potential.
Moroz
K
K
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112-7389, USA.
Ferreira
C
C
Dhurandhar
N
N
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002453:Cell Cycle; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004171:Diploidy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011003:Ploidies
D004396:Coloring Agents; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm