Skin nonmelanocytic tumor
Carcinoma (nonadnexal)
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma
Author: Ghassan A. Tranesh, M.D.
Topic Completed: 1 November 2014
Minor changes: 2 November 2020
Copyright: 2002-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma [title] skin
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Case reports | Gross description | Gross images | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Cytology images | Positive stains | Negative stains | Molecular / cytogenetics description | Differential diagnosis | Additional referencesCite this page: Tranesh G. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/skintumornonmelanocyticmuc.html. Accessed April 14th, 2021.
Definition / general
- Very rare in skin (~30 cases reported)
- Probable sweat gland origin
- Resembles similar tumor of salivary gland
- Usually low to intermediate grade, some higher grade tumors perhaps better classified as adenosquamous carcinoma
Case reports
- 66 year old man with ear tumor (J Cutan Pathol 1991;18:56)
- 72 year old man with tumor arising within nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn on forehead (J Cutan Pathol 2003;30:652)
- 76 and 79 year old men (Int J Surg Pathol 2015;23:161, Am J Surg Pathol 2005;29:131) with tumors of cheek and axilla
- 81 year old man with tumor infiltrating parotid gland (Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2012;16:26)
Gross description
- Up to 0.6 cm, ulcerated and nonencapsulated
- Flesh colored nodules, painless
Gross images
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High grade
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Circumscribed tumor, may not be attached to surface
- Multilobulated nodulocystic tumor extending throughout dermis, exhibiting glandular and squamoid differentiation
- Dermal lobules or cystic growth of low grade epidermoid, intermediate, mucinous cells and clear cells
- Cribiform nests of epidermoid cells contain glandular spaces with mucin
- Nuclei are mildly atypical and contain scattered mitotic figures
- Peritumoral fibrosis is common
- May have focal perineural invasion
Microscopic (histologic) images
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Site unknown
Salivary gland Alcian blue-PAS
Salivary gland
Cytology images
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Salivary gland
Molecular / cytogenetics description
- CRTC1 rearrangements have been detected in cutaneous MEC (like salivary gland MEC), but translocation t(11,19) or MAML2 rearrangements not seen (unlike salivary gland MEC) (Br J Dermatol 2009;161:925)
Differential diagnosis
- Adenosquamous carcinoma: high grade tumor, often involves epidermis, adenocarcinoma component is well-differentiated
- Metastatic salivary gland tumor: usually high grade
- Mucinous metaplasia
