Introduction: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant salivary gland tumor, however few studies have been reported in Brazilian populations. Objective: To report clinical and pathologic data from 173 head and neck MEC treated in the Centro de Tratamento e Pesquisa Hospital do Câncer A. C. Camargo in São Paulo. Study design: Clinical randomized. Material and Method: From 1953 to 1997, 173 cases of MEC were found in the files of the Centro de Tratamento e Pesquisa Hospital do Câncer A. C. Camargo. Data were obtained from the patients' records and histological review of all cases. Results: The mean age of the patients was 44 years and 93 (53,8%) were men; parotid glands were affected in 61 cases (35,2%) and intra-oral minor salivary glands in 75 (43,4%). TNM revealed 50,3% of the cases in stages I and II, and histological grading revealed 45,2%, 18,5% and 36,3% low-grade, intermediate-grade and high-grade tumors, respectively. Surgical treatment was employed in 80,3% of the cases, with neck dissection in 52 cases (30,1%), and radiotherapy in 73 (42,2%). Local recurrence, regional and distant metastasis were found in 12,7%, 9,8% and 9,2% of the patients, respectively; 5-year and 10-year overall survival rates were 70% and 60%, respectively. Conclusions: MEC affected mainly the parotid gland and the palate of adults, without gender predilection. Half of the cases were diagnosed in initial clinical stages and 64% of the tumors were low or intermediate-grade lesions. Surgery was the treatment of choice and prognosis was good.
salivary glands; head and neck; parotid; palate; mucoepidermoid carcinoma
