Fine needle aspiration biopsy findings in lymphoepithelial carcinoma of salivary gland

To study the fine needle aspiration cytology of lymphoepithelial carcinoma of salivary gland (LECSG). Needle aspirates from five primary and two metastatic LECSGs were reviewed. Three aspirates showed very scant cellularity with rare tumor cells originally misinterpreted as lymphohistiocytic cells. Six fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) contained medium to large polygonal and spindled cells with one or more prominent nucleoli. Five aspirates also displayed a heterogeneous population of lymphoid cells, while a sixth had much necrotic debris and only a few lymphocytes admixed with tumor cells. In the clinical setting of an Inuit or Chinese patient with a salivary gland mass, an FNAB with these features should suggest the possibility of LECSG.