Myoepitheliomas of the head and neck: Case report and review

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Abstract
The clinical, light, and ultrastructural features of a myoepithelioma occurring on the hard palate of a 24‐year‐old woman are presented and compared with 41 myoepitheliomas of the head and neck described in the English literature. These 42 tumors (39 benign and 3 malignant) occurred in individuals from 14 to 81 years of age, affected both sexes about equally, and most often presented as a slowly enlarging, asymptomatic mass. The parotid gland and palate were the most common sites of occurrence. The tumors are typically circumscribed and encapsulated, vary from 1 to 5 cm in the greatest dimension, and are composed of spindled and/or plasmacytoid myoepithelial cells. Prognosis correlates with histologic appearance and parallels that of the pleomorphic adenoma. Conservative excision with a margin of uninvolved tissue is curative. The differential diagnosis and histogenetic relationship with other closely related neoplasms are discussed.