Basal cell adenocarcinoma was added to the classification of the World Health Organization in 1991 and is considered the malignant counterpart of basal cell adenoma. It is a rare salivary gland tumor and is most often found in the parotid gland, with only two cases reported in a minor salivary gland. To our knowledge, all basal cell adenocarcinomas have been treated by surgical excision, and their outcome has been comparatively good.
We report a case of basal cell adenocarcinoma arising in a minor salivary gland in the upper lip. The patient was a 56-year-old man who presented with a right upper lip mass. The mass was found to have widely infiltrated the maxillary alveolus, nasal floor, and the right wing of the nose. We successfully treated it with radiation (66.4 Gy), hyperthermia (8 times), and chemotherapy (5 -FU, CDDP), without lowering of the patient's quality of life.