Abstract
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the salivary glands, accounting for 10% to 15% of all salivary gland neoplasms. Histologically, it is classified into low-, intermediate-, and high-grade, and the prognosis is very dependent on tumor grade. The aim was to describe a late recurrence of MEC, which could be misdiagnosed as odontogenic lesion. A 28-year-old woman was diagnosed as having low-grade MEC of the palate and was treated with surgery. After 10 years of annual follow-up, the patient refers displacement of the upper second molar. The imaginological examinations showed a well-circumscribed osteolytic lesion involving teeth 27 and 28. According to these characteristics, our clinical hypotheses were recurrent MEC and odontogenic lesion. Incisional biopsy was performed, and low-grade MEC was confirmed. The patient was submitted to maxillectomy with microsurgical reconstruction. This report emphasizes that a rigorous clinical follow-up should be performed for a long period in cases of malignant salivary gland tumors. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the salivary glands, accounting for 10% to 15% of all salivary gland neoplasms. Histologically, it is classified into low-, intermediate-, and high-grade, and the prognosis is very dependent on tumor grade. The aim was to describe a late recurrence of MEC, which could be misdiagnosed as odontogenic lesion. A 28-year-old woman was diagnosed as having low-grade MEC of the palate and was treated with surgery. After 10 years of annual follow-up, the patient refers displacement of the upper second molar. The imaginological examinations showed a well-circumscribed osteolytic lesion involving teeth 27 and 28. According to these characteristics, our clinical hypotheses were recurrent MEC and odontogenic lesion. Incisional biopsy was performed, and low-grade MEC was confirmed. The patient was submitted to maxillectomy with microsurgical reconstruction. This report emphasizes that a rigorous clinical follow-up should be performed for a long period in cases of malignant salivary gland tumors.
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