Fine-needle aspiration biopsy as an auxiliary diagnostic tool on intraoral minor salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma

Abstract

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is useful in diagnosis of major salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), but it has been rarely reported on minor salivary gland ACC. The aim of this study was to report the utility of FNAB on diagnosis of ACC involving minor salivary glands. Three patients presenting ACC involving the palate (2 cases) and buccal mucosa (1 case), with a mean age of 36 years and 2:1 female-to-male ratio, were included in the study. All of the patients were submitted to FNAB for diagnostic purposes. All smears were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Papanicolaou, and Diff-Quik and showed the presence of small polyhedral cells with hyperchromatic nuclei and extracellular basophilic globular amorphous substance, compatible with ACC. Diagnosis of the 3 cases was subsequently confirmed through histopathology. The FNAB was easy to perform and cost-effective, and proved to be an useful adjunctive tool in diagnosis of intraoral ACC.