High Tumor Grade in Salivary Gland Mucoepidermoid Carcinomas and Loss of Expression of Transforming Growth Factor β Receptor Type II

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Abstract
SALIVARY GLAND tumors represent 6% of head and neck cancers and 0.3% of all cancer in the United States. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is a malignant, locally invasive neoplasm of the salivary glands. The incidence rate for MEC has been reported at 0.44 per 100 000.1 It is the most common malignant neoplasm of the salivary glands, especially in the parotid gland, but MEC also can occur in submandibular and minor salivary glands.1-4 Based on the histological finding, MEC of salivary glands is graded as low (well differentiated), intermediate, or high (poorly differentiated) grade. Although there is good correlation between tumor grade and clinical stage, metastasis and tumor-related death have been noted with low-grade tumors, particularly in the submandibular gland.2,3 In the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology series of 227 cases of MEC, 17 patients (7%) with low-grade tumors had local metastases (n = 7) or died of disease (n = 10).3