2016 Volume 55 Issue 6 Pages 412-415
Background : Pleural fluid involvement by salivary gland tumors is extremely rare. We report the second documented case, to the best of our knowledge, of salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) with pleural effusion, successfully diagnosed by immunocytochemical staining.
Case : A 57-year-old male with a past history of SDC of the right submandibular gland 4 years earlier, presented to us with the findings of a massive right pleural effusion. Papanicolaou staining of the pleural fluid revealed many neoplastic cells in clusters. These cells had relatively rich granular or vacuolated cytoplasm and eccentric large round to oval nuclei containing fine granular chromatin and conspicuous nucleoli. Intracytoplasmic lumina were observed. Immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated positive reactivity for the androgen receptor, therefore, a cytodiagnosis of SDC was made, taking into consideration the past history of the patient. Histopathological analysis of the pleural nodule revealed the diagnosis of metastatic SDC.
Conclusion : Cytodiagnosis of adenocarcinoma is not difficult in cases of SDC with pleural involvement. However, a definitive diagnosis of SDC may be difficult, and a combination of the past history and immunocytochemical staining for AR is useful.
