Abstract
Mucinous adenocarcinoma is a rare malignant neoplasm classified as a salivary gland tumor by the WHO (1991). We report a case of mucinous adenocarcinoma arising in the tongue.
An 84-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of a tumor and bleeding at the left side of the tongue. Physical examination revealed a protruded mass of 25×18 mm invading the base of the tongue. There was no lymphadenopathy palpable in the cervical region. Cytological examination revealed Class V.
Partial glossectomy was performed, and the histological diagnosis was mucinous adenocarcinoma. He had a history of ascending colon cancer, but pathological study of the specimen showed poor similarity to colon cancer. After surgery, liver metastasis and multiple lung metastases were detected. The patient died of multiple distant metastases 3 years and 3 months after the operation.
