Amyloidosis of the submaxillary gland

Amyloidosis can be defined as an extracellular deposit of the amyloid fibrillar protein in one or more locations in the organism. Multiple clinical and biochemical forms of amyloid exist, and are characterized according to their fibrillar structural characteristics. The Red Congo stain presents green fluorescence when histologic cuts are observed by polarized light. The deposits of this substance can be focal in nearly any area of the organism, although the perivascular space tends to be affected. We present the case of a woman operated on for myeloma at the base of the cranium who showed no wider affectation at a later study. Fourteen years after the operation the patient showed a progressive growth of the submandibular gland that was diagnosed as a pathological amyloid deposit.