Abstract
Background: Adenoid cystic carcinoma more commonly involves the salivary glands, oral cavity, nasopharynx, breast, and skin. This disease is an extremely rare tumor in Bartholin's gland, and shows slow growth, but a relatively high local recurrence rate. We report a patient with recurrent adenoid cystic carcinoma of Bartholin's gland.
Case: A 68-year-old woman noticed swelling on the right vulva four years ago but did not see a physician. She presented to our outpatient clinic on September 9, 1998. Examination showed a lesion approximately 3 cm in diameter on the right vulva. Serum CA 125 and CEA values were negative. She refused to take a preoperative fine-needle aspiration cytology of the vulvar tumor. On December 15, 1998, we performed right vulvectomy. Imprint cytology of the cut surface of the tumor showed that the neoplastic cells were crowded in groups and that some cells had a peripherally displaced nucleus. Oval or round nuclei had fine granular chromatin with one or two nucleoi. Hyaline materials were seen among the tumor cells. The histological findings were identical with cytology. The final diagnosis based on cytopathologic findings and clinical course was adenoid cystic carcinoma of Bartholin's gland.
Conclusion: Bartholin's gland carcinoma is considered to be a slow-growing tumor and is often accompanied by local invasion and lung metastasis. Fine needle aspiration cytology and/or biopsy are useful. Although fine needle aspiration cytology could not be done for diagnosis because the patient refused, the differential diagnosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma from other malignancies of Bartholin's gland is important to determine therapy.
