[Salivary duct carcinoma of the parotid gland. Case report and review of the literature].

Salivary duct carcinoma is an uncommon neoplasm which was first described by Kleinsasser et al. in 1968. They pointed out the histologic resemblance of this tumor to ductal carcinoma of the breast and termed it salivary duct carcinoma. Since then, about sixty cases, including some with suspicious pathologic pictures, have been reported. The characteristic microscopic features of salivary duct carcinoma are composed of comedo necrosis, a cribriform and papillary pattern of intraductal growth and aggressive infiltration to adjacent structures. Salivary duct carcinoma, which is the highest-grade malignancy among salivary gland tumors, must be treated aggressively with curative extended surgery. We present the case of a 74-year-old woman with salivary duct carcinoma of the parotid gland. She complained of left facial palsy and left subaural mass. For this advanced tumor involving facial palsy and subaural cutaneous invasion, en block resection with cutaneous reconstruction with a deltopectoral flap and postoperative radiation therapy was performed. She is alive without evidence of recurrence more than four years after this combined therapy.