Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the salivary glands: clinicopathologic review of 108 patients treated at the National Cancer Institute of Milan.
BACKGROUND
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) can have a variety of clinical outcomes, but prognosis seems to be related to the tumor grade. The system proposed by Auclair and Goode is useful, and our data lend further support to its application and validity in clinical practice.


METHODS
We have clinicopathologically reviewed 108 cases of MEC originating in major (MASG) and minor (MISG) salivary glands that were treated at the National Cancer Institute of Milan between 1975 and 1995. Following the methods of Auclair and Goode, a quantitative grading system was used. The relationships between clinical and pathologic characteristics and survival rate were investigated.


RESULTS
Twenty-six (44%) cases located in MASG and 19 (39%) cases in MISG were categorized as high-grade tumors. In patients with MASG tumors, the 5-year disease-free survival rate was 22.5% when the tumor was high grade and 97.0% if the tumor was low grade (P <.0001). For patients with a tumor of the MISG, the percentages were 35.3% for high-grade and 80.0% for low-grade tumors (P =.0066).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study confirms that in MEC, tumor grade, subdividing cases into low and high grade by using the criteria delineated by Auclair and Goode, correlates well with prognosis.
Guzzo
Marco
M
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Via Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy. marco.guzzo1@tin.it
Andreola
Salvatore
S
Sirizzotti
Grazia
G
Cantu
Giulio
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018277:Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate