0000000000711789
AUTHOR
Pablo Rosado
Unilateral absence of submandibular gland secondary to stones. Aplasia versus early atrophy.
Major salivary gland absence is a rare disorder. The cause of congenital absence of the salivary glands has not been determined, but it may be associated with ectodermal defects of the first and second branchial arches. Isolated absence of a unilateral submandibular gland is an unusual entity with less than ten cases reported in the literature. The etiopathogenesis of isolated absence of a major salivary gland without other developmental anomalies is still unclear. The formation of a sialolith within the remaining Wharton?s duct, associated with isolated aplasia (versus atrophy) of a unilateral submandibular gland has been recently reported. We describe in this work two cases of sialolithia…
Merkel cell carcinoma: our experience in this rare pathology.
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) was first described in 1972 by Toker, who described five cases of the so-called "trabecular carcinoma of the skin". MCC is a rare, aggressive skin cancer that affects mainly the elderly. Sun exposed areas are mainly affected, specially the head and neck. Immunohistochemical analysis is essential to reach a correct diagnosis. According to the origin of MCC, the tumor expresses both epithelial and neuroendocrine markers. MCC has a propensity for recurrence, regional and distant metastases. Several treatment options are available, such as surgical excision or Moh's surgery, accompanied by neck dissection or radio and chemotherapy in advanced cases. The present study…