Clear cell carcinoma of minor salivary gland--case report.

INTRODUCTION Clear cell carcinoma is a rare low-grade carcinoma that almost exclusively occurs in the minor salivary glands. This tumour is one of the new additions in the recent World Health Organization (WHO) classification of salivary gland tumours. CLINICAL PICTURE A 50- year-old woman presented with a gradually enlarging painless submucosal mass of 3 months' duration over the left side of the palate. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME A preoperative diagnosis of primary clear cell carcinoma of salivary gland with focal surface epithelial dysplasia was rendered after thorough clinical examination to rule out renal origin. The lesions were excised with wide surgical margins and 3 years into the postoperative period, the patient was disease-free. CONCLUSION We report a case of clear cell carcinoma of intra-oral minor salivary gland and draw comparisons with metastatic clear cell carcinoma of renal origin.