Epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of salivary glands

Four cases of epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of salivary gland origin are presented and discussed. The mean age of these four patients was 68 years, with an age range of 51 to 78 years. Three of the patients were women, and one was a man. This article emphasizes the light microscopic, histochemical, and ultrastructural features of the neoplasm. Electron microscopic examination of glutaraldehyde-fixed fresh tissue and previously formalin-fixed tissue reveals that the characteristic clear cytoplasm of abluminal cells is caused, in part, by glycogen storage granules and the paucity of organelles but largely by an artifact of fixation.