Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland

Abstract

In a histologic re‐examination and reclassification of a series of 1678 tumors of the parotid gland, 63 (3.7%) exhibited the structures characteristic of mucoepidermoid carcinoma. A long‐term follow‐up study showed that mucoepidermoid carcinoma differs from acinic cell and adenoid cystic carcinoma in that the determinate survival rate does not fall markedly when the follow‐up exceeds 5 years. This implies that the prognosis based on the determinate survival rate can be evaluated after a 5‐year follow‐up study. Histologically, the 63 tumors have been divided into two subgroups, one consisting of 20 tumors exhibiting invasive growth (high grade malignant) and the other of 43 without invasive growth (low grade malignant). The follow‐up study showed the difference between the prognosis in the two groups. In order to improve the poor prognosis in high grade malignant mucoepidermoid carcinoma, the authors recommend that parotidectomy should be routinely combined with radical neck dissection in high grade malignant tumors. Copyright © 1968 American Cancer Society