Primary small cell carcinoma of the parotid: Fine needle aspiration and immunohistochemical features of a neuroendocrine variant

Abstract

Salivary gland small cell carcinoma (SGSmCC) is extremely rare, accounting for less than 1% of salivary gland tumors. A 42-year-old female patient came to the outpatient clinic due to a mass localized in the left submandibular space and that had been growing since 3-4 months. The fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) matched with small cell carcinoma (SmCC). As no other focus was detected by computerized tomography (CT), it was accepted as a primary neoplasm of the parotid gland. The histopathological assessment of the excised material and immunohistochemical staining demonstrated a neuroendocrine differentiation of SmCC. No recurrence was observed during the 54-month follow-up period. We believe this to be the second case of SmCC with neuroendocrine differantiation of the parotid glands reported in TurkUsh medical literature and will be added to the english database as one of the favorable SmCC cases.