Cribriform adenocarcinoma of the soft palate with multiple lymph node metastasis and long-term follow-up.

INTRODUCTION

Cribriform adenocarcinoma of the tongue and minor salivary glands (CATMSG) is a recently described entity, with most cases previously published as polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA). Typical cases share some main characteristics, such as oral sites (mainly tongue), regional lymph node metastasis, and morphology resembling solid and follicular variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE

To present a CATMSG and emphasize the importance of reclassifying PLGAs with unusual behavior.

CASE REPORT: A 78-year-old male presented with an ulcerated mass in the soft palate treated as PLGA. The patient developed 5 regional metastases over 11 years of follow-up, all diagnosed as PLGA. He died due to the disease, and because of the very aggressive behavior of PLGA, all histopathologic slides were revised and the tumor was reclassified as CATMSG.

CONCLUSION

This report emphasizes the importance of reevaluating aggressive PLGA and contributes to a better understanding of CATMSG.