title: [Histopathological grading and clinical features of patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the salivary glands].
abstract: In the 22 years between March 1979 and February 2001, we treated 16 patients--10 men and 6 women aged 10-80 years (mean: 44 years)--with mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the salivary gland, evaluating them clinically and histopathologically. Tumor sites included 12 at the parotid gland, 3 at the submandibular gland, and 1 at the minor salivary gland. All tumors were graded histopathologically based on the criteria of Goode et al. as follows: low grade (n = 10), intermediate grade (n = 1), and high grade (n = 5). Female gender was associated with low grade MEC and male gender with high grade MEC (P < 0.05). The age at onset in high grade MEC was older than that in low grade MEC (P < 0.005). Lymph-node metastasis was detected in 7 out of the 16 patients (44%) associated significantly with high grade MEC (P < 0.05). Distant metastasis was detected in 4 of 16 patients (25%). Distant metastasis was significantly associated with high grade MEC (P < 0.05). Local recurrence was detected in 3 of 15 patients undergoing surgery (20%). No difference was seen in local recurrence frequency between low and high grade MEC. Survival was calculated with Kaplan-Meier's method. In all 16, 5-year survival was 86% and 10-year survival 75%. Five-year survival in low grade MEC was 100%, whereas that in high grade MEC was 67% (P < 0.05). In MEC of the salivary gland, it was suggested that the histopathological MEC grade evaluated by Goode's criteria significantly correlated with gender, age, lymph-node metastasis, distant metastasis, and 5-year survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Akita University School of Medicine, Akita.
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Monoo
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sageshima
authors.forename: Eiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishihira
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018277:Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D015996:Survival Rate