title: Pigmented mucoepidermoid carcinoma, a case report and review of the literature on melanin-pigmented salivary gland tumors.
abstract: This paper reports a well-differentiated mucoepidermoid carcinoma containing numerous melanocytes in the parenchyma in a middle-aged Japanese man. In addition to the characteristic histopathologic features of well-differentiated mucoepidermoid carcinoma, various-formed and -sized, pigmented cells were widely distributed in the parenchyma. Many of these were considered to be melanocytes containing melanin in their cytoplasm. Perusal of the English-language literature revealed only four cases of salivary gland tumors with parenchymal pigmentation: three mucoepidermoid carcinomas and one pleomorphic adenoma. The possible histogenesis of melanocytes in the salivary gland lesions is discussed, although no firm conclusion could be drawn.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan. ytakeda@iwate-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurose
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018277:Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008048:Lip Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008543:Melanins / Q000032:analysis; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000473:pathology; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D012470:Salivary Glands, Minor / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins