Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma in a 33-Year-Old White Man

A 33-year-old white man.

Longstanding bump on the roof of the mouth.

The patient was referred to an oral maxillofacial surgeon for a pathology consultation. The patient had been experiencing pain on both sides of his jaw, but the oral mass was not painful (Image 1).

The patient has no history of smoking, is slightly overweight with a body mass index of 26.5, and has no systemic or chronic medical conditions.

On initial examination by the oral surgeon, the vital signs of the patient were normal. An indurated lesion was noted on the left hard palate of the patient. Suspecting a benign lesion or possible carcinoma/neoplasm, the oral surgeon scheduled and performed an excisional biopsy (Image 2). The mass was sent for pathological processing.

This included a diet of soft foods, with daily rinsing using 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate, with a follow-up appointment made for 2 weeks later.

Figure 1; Image 3; Image 4.