Atypical Presentation of an Upper Lip Pleomorphic Adenoma: Case Report

The pleomorphic adenoma (PA) or mixed tumor is the most common neoplasm of the salivary glands, usually presenting with a non-specific clinical manifestation and a diverse histopathological pattern. The region of the lips is the second most common site for minor gland neoplasms. The aim of this paper is to report the case of a 39 year old caucasian woman presenting with a swelling on the right side of the upper lip combined with a history of trauma in the region of the upper right central incisor, eight years ago. The swelling was attributed to the periapical lesion of the upper right central incisor that was observed on the orthopantomography. Intraoperatively the surgeon came upon a nodule of firm consistency in the mucolabial fold. The histopathologic diagnosis of this lesion was benign mixed tumor of salivary gland. This report discusses the deviation in frequency of mixed salivary gland tumor between upper and lower lip, the clinical differential diagnosis, the histopathological pattern and the appropriate treatment.