Adenosquamous carcinoma of the mouth: a rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma.

Adenosquamous carcinoma is a rare tumour in the oral cavity and is characterised histologically by carcinomatous change in surface epithelium, in association with adenocarcinoma affecting the ducts of minor salivary glands. Only a dozen cases have previously been reported in the oral cavity, but all have shown an aggressive course with 60% of patients dying of disease. We report three further cases and review the literature, which suggests that this lesion should be regarded as a high-grade variant of squamous cell carcinoma.