Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40938457›Full record

ArticleHead and neck pathology2025

Pleomorphic Adenoma with Epithelial Atypia, Apocrine Metaplasia, and/or In situ/Intracapsular Salivary Duct Carcinoma Are Indolent Lesions with Good Prognosis: A Proposal for Unified Nomenclature and Clinical Observation.

Grayson G Cole, Matt Levin, David Ferber, Spencer C Roark, Peter M Sadow, Daniel Lubin, Julie Guilmette, Jason R Pettus, Adam S Fisch, Dipti P Sajed and 3 more

Erratum issuedAbstract read
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Article in Head and neck pathology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Grayson G ColeDepartment of Pathology, University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7409-0705
Matt LevinCell IDx, Inc. (A Division of Leica Biosystems), San Diego, CA, USA.
David FerberMedical & Scientific Affairs, Leica Biosystems, Deer Park, IL, USA.
Spencer C RoarkVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Peter M SadowDepartment of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1036-6367
Daniel LubinEmory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0409-2374
Julie GuilmetteHôpital Charles-Le Moyne, Québec, QC, USA.
Jason R PettusDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Adam S FischDepartment of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4742-8165
Dipti P SajedDepartment of Pathology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Fouad R ZakkaWellstar Health System, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Mark W LingenDepartment of Pathology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Nicole A CiprianiDepartment of Pathology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. Nicole.Cipriani@bsd.uchicago.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3092-2746

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSalivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is the most common malignancy to arise in a pleomorphic adenoma (PA). Intracapsular or non-invasive carcinoma ex PA (CXPA) is defined by the presence of malignant-appearing tumor cells within the PA that do not violate the tumor border. Knowledge regarding the possible morphologic spectrum and prognosis of intratumoral CXPA is scarce. This study aims to evaluate the morphologic, immunohistochemical, and clinical features of PAs with apocrine / salivary-duct-like intratumoral atypia.

methodsSurgical pathology databases were queried for in situ or intracapsular/intratumoral SDC ex PAs and PAs with atypical epithelial cells (AEC). Exclusion criteria included recurrent lesions, invasion, positive margins, atypia only in myoepithelial cells, or other morphologic variants. Chromogenic multiplex (androgen receptor (AR) and HER2) and monoplex (p40) assays were performed on all available cases, as well as on a control group of non-atypical benign PAs and overtly invasive SDCs. Clinical outcomes were recorded.

results96 cases were identified: 23 AEC, 6 apocrine metaplasia, 41 benign PA, 8 SDC ex PA. All AEC, apocrine metaplasia, and benign cases were treated with surgery alone, with 3 AEC cases also receiving a neck dissection. No case recurred. Five of 8 SDC ex PA recurred; 3 died of disease. AR and HER2 were respectively expressed in 96% and 22-48% of AEC; 83% and 0% of apocrine metaplasia; 51% and 0% of benign PA; and 86-100% and 38-57% of SDC ex PA. Patients had increasing average age from benign (~ 50 years) to atypical/in situ (60 years) to invasive carcinoma (~ 70 years).

conclusionThe presence of epithelial atypia within a PA (ranging from isolated AR expression to apocrine metaplasia to overtly dysplastic/malignant epithelial cells) does not portend recurrence or metastasis if the atypia is confined within the borders of the adenoma and negative margins are achieved. Therefore, use of the term "in situ/intracapsular/intratumoral salivary duct carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma" is discouraged in light of good prognosis and potential for overtreatment by clinical teams. Nomenclature such as pleomorphic adenoma with epithelial "atypia" or "dysplasia" is recommended, followed by a comment regarding the morphologic features and likely indolent behavior.

Indexed as

Adenoma, PleomorphicSalivary Gland NeoplasmsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overApocrine GlandsFemaleHumansMaleMetaplasiaMiddle AgedPrognosisSalivary DuctsTerminology as TopicARAtypical epithelial cellsDysplasiaHER2In situIntracapsularp40Salivary duct carcinoma

Identifiers

PMID40938457
PMCPMC12431996

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.