Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Breast: A Case Report

Abstract

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the breast is a very rare malignant tumor, first described in 1979 and with little over 40 cases reported in the literature. MEC of the breast is similar to its salivary equivalent, which is composed of intermediate, epidermoid and mucinous cells. It usually presents with a triple-negative immunophenotype (negative estrogen, progesterone and HER-2 receptors). Imaging characteristics are diverse and not extensively documented. The low-grade MEC generally has a good prognosis and these patients may be potentially cured by complete resection of the tumor. In this paper, we report a 15-years-old young woman diagnosed with a low-grade MEC of the breast and treated with partial mastectomy, remaining asymptomatic to this date, in over a 5-year follow-up period. This seems to be the youngest presentation of this entity described in the literature.