Basaloid carcinomas of salivary glands

Three cases of carcinoma of major salivary glands with basaloid morphology are presented. One case was a clear example of a basal cell adenocarcinoma, an uncommon and infrequently recognized. low-grade tumour of major salivary glands. The remaining two cases showed a higher cytological grade of malignancy but shared some features of basal cell adenocarcinoma. Common features included the architectural pattern and myoepithelial cell differentiation, as demonstrated by smooth muscle-specific actin positivity, in cells associated with the deposition of extracellular basal lamina-like material. The relationship between these cases and adenoid cystic carcinoma is discussed.