Adenoid squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity: report of the first case arising in the tongue.

A case of adenoid squamous cell carcinoma arising in the tongue is presented. This histologic variety of squamous cell carcinoma originates almost exclusively in the skin, and the few examples of oral mucosal lesions have heretofore been restricted to the lip. In the oral mucosa, the neoplasm should be differentiated from several types of adenocarcinoma of salivary origin. Surgical excision in our case was followed by rapid local recurrence and death. This behavior is in contrast to the generally favorable prognosis of analogous cutaneous and lip neoplasms, and may indicate a more aggressive course in lesions of lingual origin.