A case of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the tongue apex

We report a rare case of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma arising in a minor salivary gland at the tongue apex. The patient was 77-year-old man who complained of a painful swelling at the tongue apex. On palpation, there was an elastic hard mass measuring 12 mm in diameter. Because of chronic renal failure, the patient had received hemodialysis for 7 months. Under a tentative diagnosis of a tongue tumor, the lesion was removed with the patient under general anesthesia. Histological examination revealed an adenocarcinoma with a tubular pattern. No serious complication occurred during treatment, but the patient died of pneumonia 3 months postoperatively.