Salivary duct adenocarcinoma

Six cases of salivary duct adenocarcinoma are presented. All had a history of a rapidly enlarging mass in the parotid gland with involvement of the facial nerve. The histopathological appearance was distinctive, each case showing an invasive tumour resembling ductal carcinoma of the breast, often with areas of comedo necrosis. Five patients died within 26 months, and the one long-term survivor (68 months) has widespread metastatic disease. These findings are similar to cases which have previously been described, but the tumour has not been widely reported, particularly in Britain. We feel that salivary duct adenocarcinoma is a distinct clinicopathological entity and, as its histological appearance is usually unmistakable, we believe it deserves wider recognition.