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Salivary Gland Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma
Definition 1
A carcinoma that arises from the salivary glands. It is the most common primary carcinoma of the salivary glands and usually presents as a firm and painless mass. It is characterized by the presence of epidermoid cells, mucus producing cells, and cells of intermediate type. The majority of cases have a favorable outcome. (NCI Thesaurus)
Definition 2
A tumor of both low- and high-grade malignancy. The low-grade grow slowly, appear in any age group, and are readily cured by excision. The high-grade behave aggressively, widely infiltrate the salivary gland and produce lymph node and distant metastases. Mucoepidermoid carcinomas account for about 21% of the malignant tumors of the parotid gland and 10% of the sublingual gland. They are the most common malignant tumor of the parotid. (From DeVita Jr et al., Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 3d ed, p575; Holland et al., Cancer Medicine, 3d ed, p1240) (NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
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