title: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma: a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to review the cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma diagnosed at the Stomatology Service of São Lucas Hospital (PUCRS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical charts were reviewed focusing on the sex and age of the patients, clinical aspect, anatomic site, signs and symptoms, size and histological grade of the lesion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Of the 19383 patients who were seen between 1978 and 2009, 675 (3.48%) had a histopathological diagnosis of malignant neoplasm of the oral maxillofacial region including 12 (1.78%) cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The mean age of patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma was 43.8 years, and there was a predilection for males (58.7%). All cases occurred in the minor salivary glands, and the palate was the site most frequently affected (41.7%). Pain and local irritation were present in 50% of cases, and the size of lesions ranged from 0.3 cm to 5.0 cm. The histological classification of low- and intermediate-grade occurred at the same frequency (36.4%), and symptoms (pain, local irritation) occurred indiscriminately in different grades of tumor.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Luteran University of Brazil, Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Miguens
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Uchoa Vasconcelos
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soares Yurgel
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salum
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cherubini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018277:Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult