Fine needle aspiration cytology of an intraductal papilloma originating in a sublingual gland. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Intraductal papilloma of the salivary gland is a very rare tumor; only eight cases have been reported to date. Only histopathology has been used to investigate this tumor to our knowledge. There has not been any reported case of this tumor in a sublingual gland. CASE: A 3-cm oral floor mass with a lanulalike lesion in a 72-year-old female was aspirated. The cytologic features included various cellular smears containing compact clusters of papillary, radial, palisading, trabecular, tubular and buddinglike projected patterns; monomorphic columnar cells with oval-to-spindle nuclei basally located; abundant, finely vacuolar cytoplasm; indistinct nucleoli; and no squamous differentiated cells. A sublingual glandectomy was performed. Cytology, histology, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy were performed with standard methods. The intraductal papilloma seems to have arisen within an excretory duct and differentiated into acinar cells. CONCLUSION: The cytologic findings of intraductal papilloma are unique and may allow its specific diagnosis on fine needle aspiration.