A highly vascular tumor of the head and neck, with the exception a true vascular lesion, has rarely been observed. We report a rare case of a large, highly vascular, mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the hard palate in a 28-year-old woman. The highly vascular channels were identified by ultrasonography and angiography. This case is noteworthy in that a large, highly vascular tumor of the minor salivary gland simulated a vascular lesion. When preoperative imaging demonstrates large vascular channels, preoperative angiography will benefit surgical management and embolization should be considered if possible.
Adult ; Angiography, Digital Subtraction ; Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid/*pathology/*radiography ; Female ; Human ; Jaw Neoplasms/*pathology/*radiography ; Palate, Hard/*pathology/*radiography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVE: The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma (PMEC) in fluorine-18fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) was evaluated as a preoperative predictor of pathologic grade and survival rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients who underwent preoperative PET/CT and complete resection for PMEC were enrolled. The optimal cut-off SUVmax for tumor grade was calculated as 6.5 by receiver operating characteristic curve. The patients were divided into a high SUV group (n = 7) and a low SUV group (n = 16). Clinicopathologic features were compared between the groups by chi2 test and overall survival was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: The mean SUVmax was 15.4 +/- 11.5 in the high SUV group and 3.9 +/- 1.3 in the low SUV group. All patients except one from the low SUV group had low grade tumors and all had no nodal metastasis. The sensitivity and specificity of SUVmax from PET/CT for predicting tumor grade was 85.7% and 93.8%, respectively. During the follow-up period (mean, 48.6 +/- 38.7 months), four patients from the high SUV group experienced cancer recurrence, and one died of cancer. In contrast, none of the low SUV group had recurrence or mortality. Five-year overall survival rate was significantly higher in the low SUV group (100% vs. 71.4%, p = 0.031). CONCLUSION: Pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma patients with high SUVmax in PET/CT had higher tumor grade, more frequent lymph node metastasis and worse long-term outcome. Therefore, PMEC patients with high uptake on PET/CT imaging might require aggressive mediastinal lymph node dissection and adjuvant therapies.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid/*pathology/radiography ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/metabolism ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lung Neoplasms/*pathology/radiography ; Lymph Nodes/pathology/radiography ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Mediastinum/radiography ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology/radiography ; Positron-Emission Tomography/*methods ; Prognosis ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Survival Rate ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/*methods ; Young Adult