[Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands: histologic grading as prognostic factors]

Mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MEC) make up 32% of the heterogeneous cases of malignant epithelial neoplasm of salivary glands observed in our Department. From 1980 to 1990, 270 patients with salivary gland tumefaction, which had previously been treated surgically, were studies. Thirty-four proved to be cases of malignant epithelial neoplasms while 12 oh these 34 were MEC. The biological behaviour of MEC appears to be closely linked to histological grading: a tumor with a low grading has good prognosis while in the case of tumors with a high grading there is a rapid development of local as well as distant metastases. At appears that, with regard to malignancy, localization is an important factors as well submandibular neoplasms are more aggressive the other cancers, probably because they attack periglandular tissue so promptly.