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Salivary Duct Carcinoma — MFDS Part 1 MCQ

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HardOral PathologySalivary Duct CarcinomaMFDS Part 1

A high-grade primary parotid carcinoma in an older man is composed of large polygonal cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm. The cells form solid and cribriform structures with prominent central comedo-type necrosis and show diffuse androgen-receptor expression. Which mammary neoplasm is the classic histological analogue of this salivary tumour?

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Correct answer: C — High-grade ductal carcinoma of the breast

The findings describe salivary duct carcinoma, whose classic histological analogue is high-grade ductal carcinoma of the breast. Both may show large apocrine-type cells, solid and cribriform growth, intraductal components and central comedo-type necrosis. Androgen-receptor expression is characteristic of salivary duct carcinoma, while HER2 overexpression is also found in a subset. Invasive lobular carcinoma instead typically contains discohesive cells arranged in single files. Mucinous carcinoma is dominated by extracellular mucin, tubular carcinoma by well-formed low-grade tubules, and metaplastic squamous carcinoma by overt squamous differentiation. These alternatives do not reproduce the characteristic ductal and comedonecrotic pattern.

Reference: Nakaguro M, Tada Y, Faquin WC, et al. Salivary duct carcinoma: Updates in histology, cytology, molecular biology, and treatment. Cancer Cytopathology. 2020;128(10):693-703. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32421944/