Küttner’s Tumor of Salivary Glands Resembling Marginal Zone B-cell Lymphoma of the MALT Type: A Histopathologic and Immunohistochemical Study of 7 Cases

Abstract

Küttner’s tumor is a benign inflammatory process of the submandibular gland that presents as a hard mass mimicking a malignant neoplasm clinically. The histologic feature varies according to stage of evolution and severity of inflammation. We report here 7 cases of Küttner’s tumor that morphologically resemble primary salivary gland marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type. Histologically, the lobular architecture was distorted and the septa showed sclerosis. There was a dense lymphoplasmacytoid infiltration with lymphoid follicle formation accompanied by loss of acini and ducts. In 4 cases, a few salivary gland ducts contained the lymphoid cells within the epithelium. However, a true lymphoepithelial lesion was observed in none of the 7 cases. Immunohistochemical study demonstrated a disrupted follicular dendritic cell network, which is a characteristic finding of follicular colonization of MALT-type lymphoma. In 6 cases, there were a few small foci of lymphocytes somewhat resembling centrocyte-like cells of MALT-type lymphoma. However, immunohistological study demonstrated the mixed nature of the cells resembling centrocyte-like cells. Moreover, the polytypic nature of B lymphocytes was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction.