The Korean Journal of Pathology 2010; 44: 441-3 DOI: 10.4132/KoreanJPathol.2010.44.4.441 Acinic Cell Carcinoma of the Palatine Tonsil - A Brief Case Report - Hun-Soo Kim∙Keum Ha Choi Acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) is a rare, low-grade malignancy of the salivary glands. Most cases occur in the major salivary glands, especially the parotid gland, with only a few cases involving Department of Pathology, Wonkwang the minor salivary gland previously described. A 67-year-old male patient was admitted com- University School of Medicine, Iksan, plaining of an obstructive feeling in the throat. On examination, a lobulated mass in the tonsil- Korea lar surface was noticed. Tonsillectomy was performed under general anesthesia. Histopatho- logical examination of the mass revealed sheets of large, polygonal acinar cells with granu- Received : April 13, 2009 lar, slightly basophilic cytoplasm, which led to the diagnosis of ACC. Here, we present a case Accepted : September 10, 2009 of low-grade ACC of the palatine tonsil, which we believe to be the first reported case of ACC in this location. Corresponding Author Hun-Soo Kim, M.D. Department of Pathology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, 344-2 Sinyong-dong, Iksan 570-711, Korea Tel: 82-63-859-1813 Fax: 82-63-852-2110 E-mail:
[email protected] *This paper was supported by Wonkwang University Key Words : Carcinoma, acinar cell; Palatine tonsil; Salivary glands, minor; Tonsillectomy; in 2008. Secretory vesicles Acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) is a relatively rare, malignant the left palatine tonsil, measuring 2.5 × 1.5 cm in size (Fig.1 epithelial neoplasm in which the tumor cells exhibit acinar inset).