• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.39-41
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• 2017

Salivary gland tumors comprise almost 5% of head and neck malignancies, and minor salivary gland tumor which account for 10-15% of all salivary gland neoplasm are infrequently malignant. The mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is second most common tumor in minor salivary gland. It usually presents as a painless, rubbery-hard or soft mass, which may be fixed or mobile into the underlying structure. The predilection sites of intraoral MEC are palate, cheek, mandible, lip, and tongue, etc. There are very few published reports of MEC occurred in retromolar trigone. Only one case has been reported so far. Recently, we experienced a-70-year old man with a mass in retromolar trigone, which was finally diagnosed as MEC. We report the unique case with literature review.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 2006

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is a rare primary salivary gland malignancy characterized by histological features similar to those of ductal carcinomas of the breast. It is regarded as a high-grade malignancy associated with frequent local recurrences and early distant metastases that require aggressive treatment. The typical fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) findings in SDC include cellular smears showing tumor cells with eccentric pleomorphic nuclei and a granular cytoplasm arranged in flat sheets or cribriform patterns against a necrotic background. However, the presence of mucin-containing cells in SDC has been rarely described. We report the FNAC findings in a patient with histologically confirmed SDC that demonstrated numerous mucin-containing cells and was subsequently misdiagnosed as a high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Here we discuss the problems involved in distinguishing SDC from high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma on the basis of cytologic findings alone.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.317-324
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term survival outcomes and prognostic factors that affect the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent surgery and postoperative radiotherapy for major salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 44 patients who underwent surgery followed by radiotherapy for primary MEC of the major salivary glands between 1991 and 2014. The median follow-up period was 9.8 years (range, 0.8 to 23.8 years). Results: The overall outcomes at 5 and 10 years were 81.5% and 78.0% for overall survival (OS), 86.2% and 83.4% for disease-free survival, 90.6% and 87.6% for locoregional recurrence-free survival, and both 90.5% for distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). Histologic grade was the only independent predictor of OS (low vs. intermediate vs. high; hazard ratio = 3.699; p = 0.041) in multivariate analysis. A poorer survival was observed among patients with high-grade tumors compared with those with non-high-grade tumors (5-year OS, 37.5% vs. 91.7%, p < 0.001; 5-year DMFS, 46.9% vs. 100%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Surgery and postoperative radiotherapy resulted in excellent survival outcomes for patients with major salivary gland MEC. However, high-grade tumors contributed to poor DMFS and OS. Additional aggressive strategies for improving survival outcomes should be developed for high-grade MEC.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.89-92
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• 2018

Malignant salivary gland tumors only represent 0.08% of all childhood tumors. Especially, nasopharyngeal mucoepidermoid carcinoma(MEC) in pediatric age is an extremely rare malignancy. We hereby report a case of nasopharyngeal MEC in 5 year-old female patient. The patient underwent the complete removal of the tumor by endonasal endoscopic approach. Adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy was not considered. After 3.5 years of follow-up, there are no sign of recurrence and metastasis. Minor salivary gland tumor must be considered as a differential diagnosis of angiofibroma in nasopharynx in pediatric age. To our knowledge, the case we describe is the third case of nasopharyngeal MEC in pediatric age reported in literature.

• The Korean Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.167-174
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• 2018

Natural products are vastly utilized as a source of chemotherapeutic agents for human cancers. Kochia scopraia is traditionally used for the cure of urological and dermatological diseases. Recently, methanol extract of Kochia scoparia (MEKS) has been shown to have anti-cancer activity to various human cancers. However, there is no report demonstrating the anti-cancer activity of MEKS in human mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) cells. In this study, the authors studied the effects of MEKS on the cell proliferation and underlying mechanism in YD15 human MEC cells. MEKS decreased YD15 cell proliferation proven by trypan blue exclusion assay and induced apoptosis, evidenced by cell cycle analysis and western blotting. Autophagy induction by MEKS was verified by western blotting. In addition, MEKS regulated the expression of phosphorylated Akt, phosphorylated p38 and Nrf2 protein. This results can imply that MEKS might be a potential candidate for the treatment of human MEC cells.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.169-174
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• 2021

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the salivary gland, but primary thyroid MEC has rarely been reported and usually has a good prognosis. Herein, I report a case of thyroidal MEC with a poor prognosis in an 82-year-old woman with an anterior neck mass. Ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a thyroid mass. The patient initially underwent fine-needle aspiration, was diagnosed with malignancy, and underwent a right lobectomy. On gross examination, a 4.0×3.6×2.6 cm-sized ill-defined, unencapsulated, and infiltrative tan to whitish mass with necrosis was identified. Microscopically, epidermoid tumor cell nests or solid sheets were identified. Mucous cells that were positive for periodic acid-Schiff and mucicarmine stains were also identified within epidermoid cell nests. Frequent mitosis and necrosis were observed. Immunohistochemical staining for p40 and p63 was positive, and that for thyroid transcription factor-1 and paired box gene 8 was focally positive. According to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology grading system for salivary gland MEC, the current case was classified as high-grade MEC. After surgery, the patient suffered from dyspnea due to a remnant neck mass that compressed and obstructed the trachea; therefore, the patient refused further treatment. Thyroidal MECs are considered low-grade with a favorable prognosis, but there are several reported cases of thyroidal MEC with poor prognosis. The current case is a rare presentation of high-grade thyroidal MEC with a poor prognosis.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.370-374
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• 2016

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common type of malignant neoplasm in the minor salivary gland. The hard palate is a frequently involved site of MEC. The treatment of low-grade MEC on the hard palate is wide local resection with a tumor-free margin. In the present case, the maxillary defect was reconstructed using a buccal fat pad (BFP) flap, followed by application of 4-hexylresorcinol (4HR) ointment for 2 weeks. The grafted BFP successfully covered the tumor resection defect without tension and demonstrated complete re-epithelialization without any complications.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.288-291
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• 2020

Angiosarcoma is a rare malignant mesenchymal tumor of vascular or lymphatic origin and represents less than 1% of all malignant tumors. Radiation therapy is a standard treatment in many head and neck cancer cases, but ionizing radiation is associated with radiation carcinogenesis including radiation-induced angiosarcoma. In this article, we report a rare case of radiation-induced angiosarcoma found in a 58-year-old female patient who was previously diagnosed with an odontogenic keratocyst and mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.74-87
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• 1993

Immunohistochemical studies on S-100 protein and lactoferrin were carried out to evaluate the existence and distribution pattern of S-100 protein and lactoferrin positive cells in salivary gland tumors. The specimens used were 25 cases of pleomorphic adenoma, 2 cases of monomorphic adenoma, 2 cases of mucoepidermoid tumor, 2 cases of acinic cell tumor, 3 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma and 2 cases of adenocarcinoma occured in parotid and submandibular salivary gland. ABC kits(Dako corp. Copenhagen. Denmark) for S-100 protein and lactoferrin were used. The results obtained were summarized as follows: In the normal salivary gland. positive immunoreaction for S-100 protein was observed in myoepithelial cells of acini and intercalated ducts. Positive immunoreaction for lactoferrin was observed in serous acinic cells, epithelial cells of intercalated ducts, and excretory material in the ductal lumina. In the pleomorphic and monomorphic adenomas. most of tumor cells were positive for S-100 protein, while luminal tumor cells in gland-like or duct-like structures were rarely positive for lactoferrin. In mucoepidermoid tumor, most of squamous cells and a few of intermediate cells were positive for S-100 protein, but all of tumor cells were negative for lactoferrin. In acinic cell tumor, most of tumor cells were positive for lactoferrin, but all of tumor cells were negative for S-100 protein. In adenoid cystic carcinoma, basaloid tumor cells in trabecular structure were focally positive for S-100 protein. and in adenocarcinoma, many of tumor cells were posivive for both S-100 protein and lactoferrin. Thus, according to the embryonic stage of the development of the tumor cell origin, it was possible to classify the salivary gland tumor as followings: mucoepidermoid carcinoma which originated from the earliest stage, acinic cell tumor which originated from the end stage. Between these two extremes, there were pleomorphic adenoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma and adenocarcinoma which originated in the middle stage of the development of .the salivary glands. Based on the above results, it can be stated that S-100 protein is demonstrated in tumor cells orginated from myoepithelial cells and lactoferrin in glandular differentiated tumor cells.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.14-17
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• 2015

Castleman's disease is an uncommon lymphoproliferative disorder. The disorder can be classified based on histological subtype, such as hyaline vascular type, plasma cell type, and mixed type, and can also be clinically divided into either unicentric or multicentric type. Its exact pathophysiology is not clearly identified. The unicentric type is able to be treated by surgical resection. However, there is no standard treatment modlity for the multicentric type. Treatment of multicentric type includes anti-cancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Recently, authors have experienced a rare case of unicentric type of Castleman's disease accompanying a mucoepidermoid carcinoma of parotid gland and report a case which is discussed with references.