Mammary Analogue Secretory Carcinoma of Submandibular Gland: A Case Report with Review of the Literature

Secretory carcinoma (SC) is a rare salivary gland tumor and has been recently included in the fourth edition of the World Health Organization classification of head and neck tumors. To understand the histopathologic findings and clinical behavior of mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (MASC) of the submandibular gland in a 23 year old female. MASC is an intriguing and rare malignant salivary gland tumor first described in 2010. It shares histologic, immunohistochemical and genetic features with secretory carcinoma of the breast. The clinical behavior of MASC ranges from slowly growing tumors to aggressive tumors that can cause widespread metastasis. Many cases of MASC were discovered in archived cases previously classified as pleomorphic adenoma, acinic cell carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. They are only a few reported in submandibular gland. MASC is a newly recognized variant of salivary gland malignancy. Further research is needed to better delineate its overall prevalence and to define an appropriate treatment algorithm for this new clinical entity.