Tigroid background in cytology of hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma of the salivary gland.

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC) is a rare and low grade salivary gland carcinoma with a unique recurrent EWSR1 gene translocation. HCCC most commonly arises from intraoral minor salivary glands and its cytological features have not been well evaluated. We report a 28-year-old man with palatal HCCC and emphasize the "tigroid background" and metachromatic matrix observed in scrape cytology. This "tigroid background," usually associated with glycogen-rich clear cell tumors, is an important cytological feature of HCCC. Awareness of this feature can do great help in pathological research and diagnosis.