Sarcomatoid salivary duct carcinoma of the palate: a rare case report

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is an uncommon neoplasm that most commonly occurs in major salivary glands, mainly the parotid gland. SDC is rarely found in the minor salivary glands of the oral cavity. This report presents an extremely rare case of sarcomatoid SDC originating in a minor salivary gland of the palate. The tumor was histologically characterized by the presence of both carcinomatous and sarcomatoid components. The patient presented with a painless mass in the right palate, which slowly increased in size over 20 years. The clinical course of the present case suggests that the tumor most probably developed as a result of malignant transformation of a preexisting benign tumor of the palatal salivary gland. This report describes the clinical and histologic features of this extremely rare case of sarcomatoid SDC with reference to the relevant literature.