title: A challenging case of squamous metaplasia in a pleomorphic adenoma: diagnostic and clinical pitfalls.
abstract: Squamous metaplasia in a pleomorphic adenoma (PA) has been reported, but rarely has it been documented as being extensive enough to cause significant misdiagnosis. We present a case of a 37-year-old man presenting with a 1.7-cm minor salivary gland PA of the palate. It exhibited extensive squamous metaplasia mimicking a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) on multiple preoperative biopsies. The final diagnosis was only made after a complete oncological excision with margins and free flap reconstruction. Florid squamous metaplasia in a PA, although rare, should be recognized and distinguished from SCC. Failure to differentiate these entities can lead to patient overtreatment.
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada simon.brisebois@usherbrooke.ca.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brisebois
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Myrna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chababi Atallah
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borduas
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Pierre-Hugues
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Fortier