Diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma in a heterotopic salivary gland: a case report

Abstract

Background: The histologic diversity encountered in pleomorphic adenoma may cause diagnostic difficulty in fine needle aspiration cytology (FNA) due to limited and selective sampling. Case A 40-year-old woman presented with a mass in the anterior aspect of the neck along the sternocleidomastoid muscle. FNA revealed a cellular tumor with a chondrimyxoid background and epithelial cells intermingled with a few mesenchymal cells. The diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma was confirmed on histopathology. Conclusion: Primary ectopic pleomorphic adenoma can confidently be diagnosed by FNA. This technique is a useful tool in the initial assessment of the tumor