Basal cell adenoma arising in the palate: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Basal cell adenoma (BCA) was classified as an independent tumor in the World Health Organization (WHO) histological classification of salivary gland tumors in 1991. BCA accounts for 1–3.7% of all epithelial salivary gland neoplasms, and the most common site is the parotid gland; BCA in the minor salivary glands is very rare. We herein report a case of BCA arising in a hard palate. The patient was a 76-year-old woman who had been aware of a mass in in her left palate since around 2017. After the lesion gradually grew in size, the patient was referred to our department in September 2019. During an initial examination in our department, a well-defined mass with partial ulceration, measuring 10 mm in size, was detected in the left hard palate. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion of high signal intensity on STIR-T2-weighted imaging and a faint contrast effect on T1-weighted imaging with gadolinium. Based on these findings, we performed biopsy under local anesthesia. Due to the suspicion of BCA, we performed tumor resection under general anesthesia. Histopathologically, the tumor was finally diagnosed as BCA. In the 30 months since surgery, there have been no signs of local recurrence and the postoperative course has been good.