Multimodal treatment of atypical transformation of pleomorphic adenoma (PA) of the lacrimal gland into high-grade ductal carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction: Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is a tumor with a mix of components (epithelium-mesenchymal). It occurs more frequently in both the larger and smaller salivary glands, and less frequently in the lacrimal glands. The transformation of PA into high-grade Ductal carcinoma involves a series of histopathological, morphological, and molecular mechanisms, so that its occurrence is rare, nevertheless, the mortality rate is still high. Surgery in conjunction with adjuvant radiotherapy has been shown to be effective in locoregional disease control (LDS); however, the multimodal treatment indicated in the literature remains a controversial issue.