Adenoid cystic carcinoma of eyelid: A rare case presentation

Abstract

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare tumor identified for its severe aggressiveness and tendency for local invasion and distant metastases. It primarily affects the salivary glands, although it can also arise in other glandular tissues, such as the lacrimal glands of the eyelid. Primary cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an extremely rare type of malignant tumor of the eyelids, accounting for just around 1% of all head and neck cancers. We present here a rare case of primary ACC in a 75-year-old woman who came with a painless, progressive nodule in her left upper eyelid. Following a preliminary diagnosis of a lymphangioma, a thorough excision was performed and the eyelid defect corrected. Histopathology showed a solid tumor predominantly of tumor cells arranged in a cribriform architecture. The PAS stain revealed granular myxoid material in the lumina, and the tumor cells stained positive for the CD117 IHC marker. Based on the correlation between immunohistochemistry and histology, adenoid cystic carcinoma of the eyelid was diagnosed.