A case of palatal canalicular adenoma

Abstract

Canalicular adenoma (CA) is a rare, benign salivary gland tumor accounting for less than 1 % of all salivary gland tumors and 4–6 % of minor salivary gland tumors. We report a case of CA in the palate that was initially suspected to be malignant owing to the appearance of the lesion surface following a laser incision performed at another hospital. A 58-year-old woman presented with swelling of the palatal mucosa in the right maxillary molar area. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a soft tissue mass; however, because the patient had a history of asthma and non-contrast imaging was selected for these imaging tests, the imaging findings did not differentiate between benign and malignant tumors. A diagnosis of CA was made based on hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry of the biopsy sample. The lesion was surgically removed from the palatal mucosa under general anesthesia. At the 12-month postoperative follow-up, the patient exhibited good healing with no evidence of recurrence.