A Case of Primary Cutaneous Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma on the Cheek / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a rare disease that usually occurs in the salivary gland. In extremely rare cases, it can originate from the skin. These cases are more aggressive than the usual mucoepidermoid carcinoma, so they have high mortality and high recurrence rates. Herein we report a case of primary cutaneous mucoepidermoid carcinoma on the cheek. A 34-year-old man had a 1.0x1.0 cm sized cystic lesion. This lesion displayed central erosion and oily discharge. He had been operated on 4 times at a private hospital, but the lesion had recurred. Histopathologically, there were many tumor islands that consisted of mucoid cells, epidermoid cells, intermediate cells and clear cells. The tumor islets showed mild positivity for Alcian blue (pH 2.5), PAS, and d-PAS stain. There was no parotid tumor on the neck-CT scan, nor on positron emission tomography. We therefore diagnosed this cheek lesion as primary cutaneous mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and it was removed completely.