CASE REPORT article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Breast Cancer
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1522968
Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma in Rare Locations: A Report of Two Cases
Provisionally accepted
- 1Jiujiang University Affiliated Hospital, Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, China
- 2江西省肿瘤医院, 江西省南昌市, China
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Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is a common malignancy of the salivary glands, accounting for 10-15% of salivary gland tumors. It mostly occurs in the salivary glands and very rarely in the lungs and mammary glands. The incidence of breast MEC is only 0.2% to 0.3% of all primary breast tumors. Pulmonary MEC accounts for only 0.1-0.2% of all lung tumors. This report presents two cases of MEC occurring in rare locations: the left lower lung and the breast. Both cases presented different clinical features and histopathological characteristics. The immunohistochemical analysis of Ki-67, CK5/6, P63 and other positive results also confirmed the diagnosis. Surgical resection was the primary treatment in both cases, with the patient with lung involvement additionally receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These cases underscore the importance of recognizing MEC in atypical locations, as timely diagnosis and proper treatment approaches are vital for improving patient outcomes. From these cases, the complexity of MEC is highlighted and the necessity of precise histopathological diagnosis, especially in rare sites, is emphasized.
Keywords: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma, Lung, Breast, histopathology, Immunohistochemistry
Received: 05 Nov 2024; Accepted: 22 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Lu, Chen, Le, Shi, Ni and Cao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yuyan Cao, Jiujiang University Affiliated Hospital, Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, China
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