Introduction: Basal cell adenoma (BCA) is a rare benign epithelial tumour of the salivary gland majorly involving the parotid gland, and rarely the submandibular gland.
Case report: We describe a rare case of BCA of the submandibular gland diagnosed preoperatively using fine needle aspiration cytology in a 60-year-old woman presenting with painless submandibular swelling. The surgery went uneventfully, and the histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis.
Conclusions: BCA can be accurately diagnosed only through histological observations due to its resemblance to various benign and malignant salivary and non-salivary gland tumours, which are difficult to biopsy.
Keywords: Biopsy; Computed tomography; Cytology; Salivary gland.