Atypical clinical manifestation of mucoepidermoid carcinoma in the palate

A 62-year-old woman sought treatment for a red macule in her hard palate. Examination of the oral cavity revealed an ovoid-shaped erythematous macule on the right side of the hard palate. The patient was edentulous and used a poorly adapted maxillary denture. The initial diagnosis was chronic atrophic candidosis and trauma; however, when the lesion did not heal following removal of the prosthesis and application of topical antifungal medication, an incisional biopsy was performed, resulting in a final diagnosis of low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The patient was referred to a head and neck surgeon and the tumor was excised.