Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine

Original Article

Primary Merkel cell carcinoma of the salivary gland: a clinicopathologic study of four cases with a review of literature: Gyuheon Choi, Joon Seon Song, Hee Jin Lee, Gi Hwan Kim, Young Ho Jung, Yoon Se Lee, Kyung-Ja Cho; J Pathol Transl Med. 2025;59(3):171-179. Published online April 30, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2025.03.25

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Background
Primary Merkel cell carcinoma of the salivary gland is currently not listed in the World Health Organization classification. However, cases of Merkel cell type neuroendocrine carcinomas of the salivary gland with perinuclear cytokeratin 20 positivity have been intermittently reported. We here investigated the clinicopathologic features of additional cases.
Methods
Data of four cases of Merkel cell type small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the salivary gland were retrieved. To confirm the tumors’ primary nature, clinical records and pathologic materials were reviewed. Optimal immunohistochemical staining was performed to support the diagnosis.
Results
All tumors were located in the parotid gland. Possibilities of metastasis were excluded in all cases through a meticulous clinicopathological review. Tumor histology was consistent with the diagnosis of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. Tumors’ immunohistochemical phenotypes were consistent with Merkel cell carcinoma, including Merkel cell polyomavirus large T antigen positivity in two of the four cases.
Conclusions
Merkel cell carcinomas can originate in salivary glands and are partly associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus infection as in cutaneous Merkel cell carcinomas.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Parotid intranodal metastasis of Merkel cell carcinoma: a rare case report
Tong Gao, Dengshun Wang, Hongwei Yu, Yu’e Wang, Haibin Lu
BMC Oral Health.2025;[Epub] CrossRef

Case Studies

Intravascular schwannoma as an extremely unusual cause of vein obstruction: a case report: Luis Miguel Chinchilla-Tábora, Beatriz Segovia Blázquez, José María Sayagués, Marta Rodríguez González, Joaquín González-Rivero, José Antonio Muñoz León, Andrea Beatriz Jiménez Pérez, Idalia González Morais, Diego Bueno-Sacristán, María Dolores Ludeña; J Pathol Transl Med. 2024;58(5):249-254. Published online July 3, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2024.05.15

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Abstract PDF: The blood vessel lumen is an extremely rare location for a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor like schwannoma. Less than 10 cases have been previously reported. In this report, we present a case of a 68-year-old woman who had a soft tissue nodule at the posterior calf of her left leg during a physical examination. Pathological examination was performed after complete surgical excision. The patient underwent follow-up for 12 months after surgery without evidence of recurrence or any other complication. This is the first case of intravascular schwannoma reported as a cause of vein obstruction. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of Schwann spindle cells that were immunoreactive for S100 protein and SOX10. This tumor was surrounded by a well-defined vascular smooth muscle wall. Prospective series are required to improve the knowledge on the underlying mechanisms of intravascular schwannoma development.

Malignant potential of neuroendocrine microtumor of the pancreas harboring high-grade transformation: lesson learned from a patient with von Hippel-Lindau syndrome: Jongwon Lee, Kyung Jin Lee, Dae Wook Hwang, Seung-Mo Hong; J Pathol Transl Med. 2024;58(2):91-97. Published online March 13, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2024.02.13

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