Unusually delayed recurrence of a low grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the maxillary sinus

Abstract

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is a malignant epithelial neoplasm composed of both mucus secreting cells and epidermoid-type cells. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma arising from mucous glands of maxillary sinus is extremely rare and accounts for 13% of all malignancies occurring in maxillary sinus. While the high-grade MEC is a highly aggressive tumor, its low-grade counterpart usually demonstrates a more benign nature. However, both local recurrence and an aggressive clinical course have been reported to occur even with low-grade tumors. We report a case of low grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the maxillary sinus who presented to us with a recurrence 20 years after undergoing a total maxillectomy and post-operative adjuvant radiotherapy. The patient was successfully managed with wide excision of the tumor.

Keywords

• Maxillary sinus
• Low grade
• Mucoepidermoid carcinoma