A case of clear cell carcinoma of the minor salivary gland

: A rare case of clear cell carcinoma of the palatal salivary gland in a 69-year-old man is reported. Histopathologically, nests and cords of tumor cells, which showed predominantly clear cytoplasms, and occasionally eosinophilic cytoplasms, proliferated on the overlying epithelium and capsules of the fibrous connective tissue. The clear cell cytoplasms were found to be PAS positive, diastase soluble, and Alcian-blue negative, indicating the presence of glycogen. Ultrastructurally, the tumor cells were found to contain glycogen and cytoplasmic filaments in various proportions. These observations suggest that clear cell carcinoma is myoepithelial in origin.