title: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thyroid gland: a case report and suggested surgical approach.
abstract: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the thyroid gland is a rare neoplasm with 40 cases reported in the world literature to date. Controversy surrounds the treatment of this rare neoplasm. It has been described as a low-grade indolent tumor that rarely metastasizes and only recurs locally without morbidity. Suggested treatment has consisted of a lobectomy or subtotal thyroidectomy. We report a case of a 63-year-old woman with a 15-year history of a multinodular goiter with a dominant left lobe nodule. Fine-needle aspiration was inconclusive. The patient opted for a total thyroidectomy. Final pathology yielded a diagnosis of mucoepidermoid carcinoma. We propose that despite its low-grade appearance the morbidity and mortality associated with its ability to locally recur and metastasize justify the need for more aggressive surgical therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Washington 98431, USA.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Royer
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Azarow
mesh_terms: D018277:Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy