Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of minor salivary gland in Buccal mucosa- A rare case report

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of the salivary glands. It is the most common malignant tumor of the parotid gland and the second most common malignant tumor of the submandibular gland, after adenoid cystic carcinoma. (Brad W. Neville, 2002) Mucoepidermoid carcinoma appears as asymptomatic swellings in minor salivary glands, being the second most common site of occurrence after the parotid gland, most commonly located on palate, followed by retromolar area, floor of mouth, buccal mucosa, lips, and tongue. (Fatih Sengul et al., 2013) Only few cases have been reported in literature regarding the MEC’s of minor salivary gland tumors in buccal mucosa. (Deepak et al., 2014) We report a case of Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of minor salivary gland in a 26yr old female patient. She presented with swelling in the left buccal mucosa, which was noticed 6 months back and had gradually increased to its present size. In children and adolescents, MECs have a female predilection and occur most commonly on the hard and soft palate or both and rare in buccal mucosa. The surgical excision of the swelling was successful with no recurrence reported. The evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of a mass occupying this territory of minor salivary glands represent intellectually stimulating diciplines because of the relative paucity of theses lesions in these anatomic sites.