Salivary duct carcinoma is an uncommon, extremely aggressive malignancy arising from the ductal epithelium of salivary glands. Salivary duct carcinoma is an inaccurate name for this entity because other salivary tumors are also of excretory or terminal ductal origin. It was originally reported by Oscar Kleinsasser in 1968 as Speichelgangcarcinome. SDC has been also been termed cribiform salivary carcinoma of excretory ducts, intraductal carcinoma, and infiltrating salivary duct carcinoma. In the 1991, the WHO classificationed SDC has been listed as a separate categorizationy because of its special clinical and pathologic characteristics. Particularly, SDC is an epithelial tumor of high malignancy with formation of relatively large cell aggregates resembling distended salivary ducts. The neoplastic epithelium shows a combination of cribriform, looping and solid growth patterns, often with central necrosis, both in the primary lesion and the lymph node metastases. The most important histologic attribute of this neoplasm is its similarity to ductal carcinoma of the breast.

According to the WHO, the annual incidence of all salivary gland tumors varies about 0.4-13.5 cases per 100,000 population of 100,000. Most of them are benign. For malignant tumors, it is of 0.4 to 2.6 cases per 100,000 population of 100,000. Generally, salivary duct carcinoma represents 9% of all malignant tumors of the salivary glands, and accounts for up to 2% of all primary salivary epithelial neoplasms.

SDCs occur principally in the major salivary glands, particularly in the parotid (88%). Approximately 8% arise in the submandibular gland, while they are much rarer in the minor salivary glands (less than 4%), mainly of the palate.
The etiology of this tumor remains unknown. It is believed that most cases of SDC arise de novo, probably from an in situ carcinoma. Sometimes, it can develop from pleomorphic adenoma and in; this case it is observed in 20% of cases.

In this paper, we describe a clinical case of a female with salivary duct carcinoma of the minor salivary gland in the palate.

A 35-year-old female was referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the General Hospital “G. Papanikolaou” of Thessaloniki, complaining of a painless swelling in the upper right anterior region of the maxilla sincefor two months, with a history of a rapid increase in the size in the last ten days. Intraoral examination showed a swelling approximately 4 cm in size, which was non -tender, dome -shaped, and ulcerated, extending from the central incisor to the second molar region. It was hard in consistency on palpation. The overlying mucosa was of the normal color, as was the adjacent mucosa. The mobility of teeth (11, 12, 14, 15 and 53) was observed. Clinically, there was no evidence of either cervical lymphadenopathy of either.
A simple radiological study by means of orthopantomography highlighted a radiolucent lesion of the right maxillary, and the presence of thean impacted canine (13). The patient was subjected to a CT scan to evaluate the total extension of the lesion. Diffuse os¬teolytic defect of the bone with heterogeneously enhancing soft-tissue mass and the maxillary sinus and nasal cavity involvement were observed on the CT of the head and face.