Intraosseous Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma-Case Series of a Rare but Recurring Entity

Salivary gland tumors constitute 3-6% of all head and neck neoplasms. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant neoplasm, and 2-4% of these tumors can occur in the mandible. This is the largest single report of five cases, all treated within a span of 1 year. After obtaining approval from the institutional ethics committee, a retrospective review was done of the cases where an intraosseous MEC was treated with surgical resection. Five patients were diagnosed as intraosseous MEC and treated within a span of 1 year. All patients underwent a wide local excision with hemimandibulectomy and modified radical neck dissection with a flap reconstruction. Four patients underwent a pectoralis major myocutaneous flap, of which 2 were bipaddle and 1 received a fibular free flap. Four patients received adjuvant radiotherapy and 1 was observed. All of them had good surgical outcome and 3 of them had a DFS of 12 months until follow-up whereas 1 developed a local recurrence. Intraosseous MEC presents with a painless growth in the jaw and may spread beyond the mandible to involve the oral cavity. Primary treatment consists of surgical resection with mandibulectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy for high-risk cases. They have an excellent prognosis with survival up to 98% for low-grade tumors.