Metastatic acinic cell carcinoma in a neurofibroma mistaken for carcinosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-to-tumor metastasis is a rare, but well-recognized, entity most commonly involving metastatic carcinoma to a mesenchymal neoplasm. We report a case of acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland metastatic to a neurofibroma. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 55-year-old man with a history of a high-grade acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid was seen with a mass at the surgical site and metastatic foci in the scalp 10 months postoperatively. The resection specimen revealed a spindle cell lesion with metastatic foci of high-grade adenocarcinoma, initially diagnosed as a carcinosarcoma. The bland morphology and S-100-positive expression of the spindle cell lesion confirmed the diagnosis of neurofibroma. The high-grade features of the carcinomatous foci and their similarity to the primary tumor confirmed the presence of a tumor-to-tumor metastasis. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of acinic cell carcinoma metastatic to a neurofibroma, an important entity in the differential diagnosis of biphasic tumors of the head and neck.

Duke Scholars

Author Danielle Elliott Range Pathology