Primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of Bartholin's gland. A case report

An extremely rare case of primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of Bartholin's gland in a 71-year-old woman is reported. With the working diagnosis of malignancy of Bartholin's gland on biopsy, she underwent a left radical vulvectomy with bilateral inguinal and pelvic lymphadenectomy and postoperative left vulvar irradiation. The cytologic and pathologic findings on the surgical specimens were distinctive. The imprint cytology of the cut surface of the tumor showed that the neoplastic cells were crowded and that some cells had a peripherally displaced nucleus. The nuclei were oval or round, and the quantity of chromatin was increased and fine. Some nuclei had prominent nucleoli. The cytoplasm was abundant. The surgical specimens showed the same findings as did cytology. the final diagnosis was primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of Bartholin's gland, postoperatively based on the cytologic and pathologic findings.