The Importance of Radiographic and Histologic Correlation in Diagnosis of Intra-Osseous Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma

Central mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the jaws is rare and it comprises 2–3% of all MECs reported in the literature. It may be similar to a glandular odontogenic cyst (GOC), mainly in incisional biopsies. The precise diagnosis of these lesions is essential since they have different treatment modalities and prognosis. This paper presented a 71-year-old male patient presented with a unilocular radiolucent lesion in the left posterior mandible. The lesion had some evidence of cortical perforation and soft tissue extension in radiographic features. Incisional biopsy of the lesion was performed and the specimen was diagnosed as the GOC. However, the excisional biopsy revealed proliferation of epidermoid and mucous cells in the cyst wall and the lesion was diagnosed as central low-grade MEC of mandible. Central mucoepidermoid carcinoma (CMEC) may resemble a GOC in the incisional biopsy. Therefore, we discuss the importance of radiographic and histopathologic correlation in the diagnosis of CMEC in this article.