Spontaneous poorly differentiated carcinoma with cells positive for vimentin in a salivary gland of a young rat.

Spontaneous salivary gland tumors in rats are rare. The authors report a poorly differentiated carcinoma of a submandibular gland in a ten-week-old rat that was positive for vimentin. Microscopically, the neoplastic cells showed a diffuse growth pattern in most areas of the tumor mass and a nestlike structure in a part of the peripheral area. Immunohistochemically, the cells were positive for keratin and vimentin but not for alpha-smooth muscle actin. Ultrastructurally, desmosome-like structures were observed. Based on these findings, the tumor was diagnosed as a poorly differentiated carcinoma. The origin of the neoplastic cells would be either acinar or ductal cells. This suggests that acinar or ductal cells have the potential to transform into vimentin-expressing cells.