Salivary duct carcinoma in major and minor salivary glands. A clinicopathological analysis of four cases.

Salivary duct carcinomas are an uncommon but distinct group of highly malignant salivary gland tumours. We report the clinical course, pathological findings and surgical treatment of this tumour in 4 patients. In one patient an intraductal tumour developed in a minor salivary gland, while in the other three patients, a major salivary gland was involved by an infiltrating salivary duct carcinoma. We point out the highly aggressive biological behaviour of the tumour when occurring in the major salivary glands, in contrast to the benign course of the intraductal carcinoma in the minor salivary gland.