대한흉부영상의학회 Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology

Discussion

Diagnosis With Brief Discussion

Diagnosis

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma,low grade

Radiologic Findings

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lung is an uncommon tracheobronchial tumor whose incidence has been estimated at between 2 to 5 per 1000 primary bronchial neoplasms. The lesion is classified pathologically into low-grade and high-grade malignancy. The majority of tumors present as a polypoid mass in the lumen of a main or lobar bronchus. The tumor is usually confined to the bronchial wall, although the high-grade form may extend into the peribronchial interstitium or adjacent lung parenchyma. Roentgenographic manifestations in 58 cases reviewed by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) consisted of a solitary nodule or mass in 41 and pneumonic consolidation" in 16. Occasionally, the appearance is that of an endobronchial or endotracheal tumor similar to that of adenoid cystic carcinoma. In the AFIP series, the average age of individuals with low-grade forms was 35 years, and that of persons with high-grade forms 45 years. Symptoms are related to intraluminal growth and include cough, hemoptysis, wheezing, and recurrent pneumonia. Low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma grow slowly. Provided that they are surgically resectable, the prognosis is usually excellent, without recurrence or the development of metastases. Behavior of the high-grade form, although worse than that of low-grad tumors, appears to be better than the commoner forms of pulmonary carcinoma.

Brief Review

References

Keywords

Airway, Malignant tumor, Mucoepidermoid carcinoma,low grade