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Updated: May 13, 2026

Fabrication of Tongue Extracellular Matrix and Reconstitution of Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Vitro
Published on: June 20, 2018
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the tongue base mimicking an ectopic thyroid
Salvatore Martellucci1, Giulio Pagliuca, Marco de Vincentiis
1ENT Section, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00192 Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
A 69-year-old woman with mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the tongue base came under our observation complaining of repeated episodes of haemoptysis. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the tongue base gives rise to a rather vague and aspecific symptomatology. Early symptoms include foreign body sensation in the oral cavity, undefined paraesthesia, and sialorrhoea. With the progression of disease, dysphagia, otalgia, and painful swallowing are usually referred. We report a case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the tongue base mimicking an ectopic thyroid.
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