Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of Minor Salivary Glands with Clinical Features of a Benign Lesion

Abstract

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a common malignant neoplasm of the salivary glands, frequently affecting the parotid gland, followed by the minor salivary glands. It is an aggressive lesion and must be considered as a diagnostic hypothesis in oral mucosa proliferative lesions. A 51-year-old woman presented with an asymptomatic increase in volume, with no bleeding history, for approximately 1 year. An intraoral examination revealed a 5 cm exophytic lesion, fibrous and normochromic, located posterior to the hard palate, on the left side. Initially, the probable diagnoses were reaction lesion or lesion of glandular origin. A computed tomography of the maxilla did not show bone involvement. A histopathological report indicated a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Low-grade tumors may have very slow and non-metastatic growth and generally behave as benign tumors or assume a lesion aspect, as presented in this case. The patient was submitted to surgery and is in outpatient control.