A case of central mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the mandible

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Vol. 50; no. 10; pp. 612 - 615
• Main Authors: KOITABASHI, Tsutomu, KON, Hideki, MIZUTANI, Masahide, TAKADA, Satoshi, OHNO, Takashi, ITO, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 2004
• Subjects: central mucoepidermoid carcinoma; salivary gland tumor
• ISSN: 0021-5163; 2186-1579
• DOI: 10.5794/jjoms.50.612

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma, one type of malignant tumor of the salivary glands, consists of mucous, squamous, and intermediate cells, and mainly occurs in the major salivary glands, especially the parotid gland (60 %), and in the minor salivary glands (30 %). Clinically, mucoepidermoid carcinoma with destruction of bone is rare. We report a case of central mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the mandible. A 46-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of swelling of a right mandibular molar. Panorama X-ray film and a computed tomographic scan clearly showed a multilocular radiolucent lesion. The diagnosis on biopsy was mucoepidermoid carcinoma. We performed upper neck dissection, and block resection of the mandible with the patient under general anesthesia. The block resection of the mandible was followed by reconstruction with a mandibular reconstruction plate and a pectoral major musculocutaneous (PMMC) flap. Histologically, the tumor mainly consisted of mucous, squamous cells, and the histopathological diagnosis was mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The patient's postoperative course has been good, with no evidence of recurrence as of about 4 and a half years after the operation.