Dedifferentiation occurring in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the tongue.

A 61-year-old man came to the University of Granada School of Dentistry complaining of a mass involving his ventral tongue. Histopathologic examination of the excised specimen showed adenoid cystic carcinoma in which cribriform and tubular patterns were observed, juxtaposed with an undifferentiated carcinoma, large-cell type. No cervical lymph node metastasis was present, and the patient is alive and free of disease 5 years after treatment. To our knowledge, no similar cases have been reported thus far, though other salivary gland malignancies have been described in association with undifferentiated carcinoma, especially in the parotid gland. These neoplasms have been highly aggressive, and the adequacy of the primary surgical resection may be critical in determining the ultimate prognosis and survival.