Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands: A French Network of Rare Head and Neck Tumors (REFCOR) prospective study of 292 cases.

BACKGROUND: To describe the characteristics of the largest European study of MEC of salivary glands and to determine the prognostic factors for overall and disease free survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with MEC were prospectively included in the Réseau d'Expertise Français sur les Cancers ORL Rares (REFCOR, French Network of Rare Head and Neck Tumors) database between 2009 and 2015. RESULTS: A total of 292 patients were included. Tumors were classified as low grade in 175 cases (60%), intermediate in 39 (13%) and high grade in 78 (27%). Median follow-up was 26 months. The 5-year OS and DFS rates were respectively 83% and 69%. In multivariate analysis, age (p = 0.004), diabetes (p = 0.02) and advanced stage (p = 0.03) were found to have a significant negative impact on OS. Diabetes (p = 0.001), alcohol consumption (p = 0.003) and advanced stage (p = 0.001) were found to have a significant negative impact on DFS. Compare to low grade, high grade tended to have a negative impact on OS (p = 0.05) and had a significant effect on DFS (0.002) while intermediate grade had no significant influence on survival. The surgical treatment had a positive impact on both OS (p = 0.00005) and DFS (p = 0.0005). Postoperative radiotherapy had no impact in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Advanced clinical stage, high grade tumor, high age, the impossibility of carrying out a complete surgical resection, and diabetes are the main prognostic factors in this prospective series of patients with MEC. Such findings open new research perspectives on the influence of these components on initial patient care.

Poorly differentiated mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thyroid.

Mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MECs) are the most common malignant tumour of the salivary glands. MECs have also been reported to occur in atypical sites. Primary MECs of the thyroid gland are extremely rare, accounting for 0.5% of thyroid malignancies with approximately 48 cases reported in the literature. In most cases, these are low-grade neoplasms with good long-term prognosis. We present the case of a 74-year-old patient with poorly differentiated MEC of the thyroid gland, which behaved aggressively resulting in rapid decline and death of the patient. The exact pathophysiology of the disease remains unclear and there is no consensus on the optimal treatment for this histological subtype. Recognition and diagnosis of this rare neoplasm are important as this can help guide optimal treatment, although in high-grade poorly differentiated cases, treatment options remain limited.

Predictors of Nodal Metastasis in Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity and Oropharynx.

INTRODUCTION: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) is an uncommon malignancy, with limited literature available on its clinical and pathologic characteristics. Here, we describe the behavior of MEC of the UADT including pathologic characteristics and predictors of nodal metastasis. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients with MEC of the UADT treated at an academic medical center from January 2008 to May 2018. Data was collected about demographics and tumor characteristics including clinical and histological data. The two-tailed Student t test and χ2 analysis were performed to assess for predictors of nodal metastasis. RESULTS: We identified 44 patients with minor salivary gland MEC of the oral cavity (OC) and oropharynx (OP). All patients were treated with primary site surgery. The primary site was the OC in 25 patients (57%) and OP in 19 (43%). Low-grade histology was seen in 27 specimens (61.4%), intermediate histology in 9 specimens (20.5%), and high-grade histology in 8 specimens (18.2%). Perineural invasion was noted in 10 specimens (22.7%). Neck dissection was performed in 17 patients (39%), with pathologically positive nodes found in 9 (20.5%). Notably, 5 of the 9 positive nodal specimens were found in clinically node-negative necks. Pathologically positive cervical lymph nodes were significantly associated with the OP as the primary site (p = 0.0005), perineural invasion (p = 0.012), lymphovascular invasion (p < 0.001), and high-grade histology (p = 0.004) in the primary specimen. DISCUSSION: MEC of the UADT is an uncommon malignancy. Our findings suggest elective neck dissection should be considered with perineural and lymphovascular invasion, high-grade tumor, and the OP as the primary site.

A retrospective multicenter study of sublingual gland carcinoma in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: Salivary gland carcinoma is rare among head and neck cancers. Sublingual gland carcinoma, a type of salivary gland carcinoma, is even rarer; therefore, the number of cases at a single institute is too small for sufficient evaluation of tumor characteristics. We conducted a multicenter, retrospective analysis of sublingual gland carcinomas in patients who visited 12 institutions associated with the Kyoto Hospital and Affiliated Facilities Head and Neck Clinical Oncology Group. METHODS: Thirteen previously untreated patients who visited the institutions between 2006 and 2015 were enrolled. The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates for all patients and by disease stage were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed for all patients with respect to disease stage. RESULTS: Eight of thirteen patients were diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma on pathological study. A significant difference in OS rate was observed between patients with Stage I-III and Stage IV disease; however, the difference in DFS rate by disease stage was not significant. CONCLUSION: Stage IV disease was identified as a poor prognostic factor in patients with sublingual gland carcinoma. However, even patients with Stage I-III disease experienced relatively short DFS. Distant metastasis is a serious problem among patients with sublingual gland carcinoma.

Metastasis of malignant myoepithelial carcinoma to the brain.

Myoepithelial tumours are a rare form of salivary gland neoplasm and intracranial metastases have rarely been described. The authors present the case of a 61-year-old patient with a history of primary myoepithelial carcinoma of the right foot. Metastases were found in the third ventricle, left temporal lobe and right frontal lobe. The third ventricular and left temporal lobe tumours were resected in a two-stage operation. Pathology of the third ventricular lesion was most consistent with metastasis. MRI of the spine 2 weeks after his operation revealed an intradural mass with several lesions in the lumbar thecal space suggesting further metastases. The patient succumbed to his disease 2 months after his two-stage operation and 5 years after his initial diagnosis. This appears to be the first case in the literature of multiple primary myoepithelial carcinoma metastases to the brain. Further information is needed to provide diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations.

[Clinical characteristics and prognostic analyses of 87 patients with pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics, therapy and prognosis of patients with pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Methods: The clinical data of 87 patients diagnosed as pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma at The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from April 2011 to May 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinicopathological features were summarized and the prognoses were analyzed. Results: Among the 87 patients with lung mucoepidermoid carcinoma, 53 were male and 34 were female, the gender ratio between men and women was 1.56∶1.The ages of patients were from 16 to 79 years and the median age was 52.5 years. Seventeen cases were diagnosed as stage Ⅰ, 28 cases were stage Ⅱ, 26 cases were stage Ⅲ, 16 cases were stage Ⅳ.Thirty-six patients were examined by immunohistochemistry, of which 29 cases were cytokeratin (CK) 5/6 positive, 29 cases were CK7 positive, 10 cases were CK positive, 28 cases were p63 positive, 14 cases were p40 positive, 17 cases were thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) positive, 11 cases were NapsinA positive, 2 cases were epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) positive, 4 cases were CK8/18 positive, 3 cases were surfactant proteins A (SPA) positive, 1 case was CAM5.2 positive and 1 case was CK14 positive. Among the 87 patients, 34 cases were treated by operation alone, 23 cases were treated by operation combined with chemotherapy, 5 cases were treated by radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy, 14 cases were treated by chemotherapy alone, 2 cases were treated by particle implantation combined with chemotherapy, 2 cases were treated by local radiofrequency hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy, and 7 cases without special treatment.Five patients with brain metastasis were treated with cerebral radiotherapy combined with sequential chemotherapy. The 1-year, 2-year and 5-year survival rates of 87 patients were 90.7%, 81.6% and 46.3%, respectively. The median survival time was 60 months. The prognoses of patients with lung mucoepidermoid carcinoma were related with the clinical stage, smoking and operative therapy (all P<0.05). Conclusions: The age distribution of patients with pulmonary mucoepidermoid is a wide range, the incidence of male is higher than that of female. The diagnosis of pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma mainly relies on the morphological diagnosis and the immunohistochemical detection is non-specific. The prognoses of patients with lung mucoepidermoid carcinoma are related with clinical stage, smoking and operative therapy. For patients who are inoperable and with single distant metastasis, local radiotherapy, other local treatment and chemotherapy can significantly improve their prognoses.

Carcinomatosis peritoneal secundaria a carcinoma mucoepidermoide de glándula salival / Peritoneal carcinomatosis secondary to mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the salivary gland

Resumen: Introducción: Los tumores de glándulas salivales son neoplasias poco frecuentes y representan menos del 5% de todos los tumores de cabeza y cuello. El carcinoma mucoepidermoide representa un 10-15% de todas las neoplasias de las glándulas salivales y aproximadamente un 30% de los tumores malignos salivales. El comportamiento biológico y las manifestaciones clínicas de este tipo de tumores son variables y se correlacionan con el estadio y grado histológico, siendo la presencia de metástasis a distancia un hallazgo inhabitual (en especial, en tumores de grado bajo o intermedio). Caso clínico: Paciente de 65 anos de edad con antecedentes de tabaquismo, a quien se diag nostica carcinoma mucoepidermoide de grado intermedio de glándula submandibular izquierda tratado con cirugía más radioterapia adyuvante, y que presenta progresión metastásica hepática y carcinomatosis peritoneal a los 26 meses de seguimiento.

Abstract: Introduction: Tumors of salivary glands are uncommon and comprise of about 5% of all head and neck tumors. Although constituting less than 15% of all salivary gland tumors, mucoepidermoid carcinoma account for approximately 30% of all malignant salivary gland neoplasms. Commonly these tumours are metastatic to local lymph nodes and distant metastases are rare (especially, in low and intermediate grade tumors). Case report: We report a case of 65 years old man who developed peritoneal carcinomatosis secondary to metastatic dissemination of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the major salivary glands, which is an uncommon occurrence with intermediate grade tumors.

Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of Resected Salivary Gland Malignancies: Examining a Single Institution's 12-year Experience.

BACKGROUND: Despite adjuvant radiotherapy, survival outcomes remain poor in patients with salivary gland malignancies who have multiple poor prognostic factors. This study aimed to determine which patients may benefit from treatment intensification. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent curative resection with or without adjuvant radiotherapy between 2002 and 2014 were identified and a retrospective chart review was performed. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were the main outcomes measured. RESULTS: A total of 95 patients met the inclusion criteria. The median follow-up was 46.8 months. The median age was 60 years. Radiotherapy was given to 78 patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that male sex and perineural invasion significantly reduced overall and disease-free survival. Distant metastases comprised of 67% of recurrences and 33% were locoregional. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy should be considered for patients with tumors with perineural invasion, especially in males with high-risk histopathology or high-grade, late-stage disease. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the impact of pack-year smoking history on survival outcomes.

Review of periorbital nerve enlargement and biopsy techniques.

Periorbital nerve enlargement commonly indicates perineural invasion of malignancy or inflammatory conditions. This study reviews the role of supraorbital and infraorbital nerve biopsies in patients presenting with radiographic enlargement and to elucidate the surgical technique involved. A retrospective chart review (1997-2014) was performed at a single tertiary center. Patients with radiographic confirmation of enlarged supraorbital/infraorbital nerves that underwent biopsy were included. Charts were reviewed for: patient demographics and history, clinical symptoms and findings, radiographic findings, surgical method, and treatment. Five patients (4 female, 1 male) met inclusion criteria. Average age was 72.4 years (range 36-90). Four patients had history of cutaneous malignancy. All presented with diplopia and/or dysesthesias. Clinical examination confirmed decreased V1 and/or V2 sensation for 4 patients. Imaging revealed enlargement of V1, V2, and/or V3 in all patients. Infraorbital nerve biopsies were performed in 3 patients via transconjunctival fornix-based orbitotomy with subperiosteal dissection along orbital floor followed by unroofing of infraorbital canal. The remaining 2 underwent supraorbital nerve biopsy via sub-brow incision onto superior orbital rim with reflection of periosteum. Biopsies confirmed squamous cell carcinoma(3), mucoepidermoid carcinoma(1), and idiopathic orbital inflammation(1). Three patients initiated treatment in <1 month. One decided to follow-up closer to home, one was lost to follow-up. For patients presenting with enlarged supraorbital/infraorbital nerves, biopsy can rapidly confirm the underlying condition and facilitate early treatment. A sub-brow approach offers direct access to supraorbital nerve while transconjunctival fornix-based anterior orbitotomy with canal unroofing allows access to infraorbital nerve.

[Pulmonary Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma with Hilar Lymph Node Metastasis Complicated by Myelodysplastic Syndrome].

A 65-year-old woman was found to have a mass shadow on chest computed tomography. The patient had been diagnosed as having myelodysplastic syndrome 3 years before admission. She was transferred to our hospital for further examination of the mass in the lower lobe of left lung. The mass was positron emission tomography-positive (SUVmax of 8.6)suggesting a malignant neoplasm. Serum concentrations of carcinoembryonic antigen was elevated to 8.7 ng/ml. Preoperative laboratory studies showed anemia (hemoglobin 6.9 g/dl). Transfusion of red blood cells was performed prior to surgery. Under the video-assited thoracoscopic surgery, left lower lobectomy and lymph node dissection were perfomed. The histopathological diagnosis was mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and the hilar lymph node metastasis positive. There were no postoperative complications, such as infection or bleeding. Chemotherapy with tegafur/uracil was performed after the operation. The patient is currently alive without any recurrence 2 years after the operation.

Salivary gland epithelial neoplasms in pediatric population: a single-institute experience with a focus on the histologic spectrum and clinical outcome.

Salivary gland epithelial neoplasms are rare in children and adolescents, with only a handful of large series having been published. A retrospective study was conducted for 57 cases in patients 20 years or younger. The tumors were located in the parotid (n=36), submandibular gland (n=7), and minor salivary glands (n=14). Nineteen (33%) tumors were pleomorphic adenoma, whereas the remaining (67%) were malignant. The histologic types of carcinomas were mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC, n=19, 33%), acinic cell carcinoma (n=7, 12%), adenoid cystic carcinoma (n=6, 11%), secretory carcinoma (mammary analogue) (SC, n=4, 7%), and myoepithelial carcinoma (n=2, 4%). Ninety-three percent (13/14) of the minor and 58% (25/43) of the major salivary gland tumors were malignant. A 7-year-old girl (2%) with a high-grade MEC died from her disease because of uncontrollable locoregional recurrence. Seven patients (16%) developed recurrence including 2 distant metastases from adenoid cystic carcinoma and 6 locoregional recurrences (2 pleomorphic adenomas, 1 SC, 1 myoepithelial carcinoma, 1 adenoid cystic carcinoma, and 1 MEC). The following parameters were associated with decreased disease-free survival in malignant tumors: elevated mitotic index of >4/10 high-power fields (log-rank test, P<.001), and advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer pT (P=.029) and pN stage (P<.001). In conclusion, myoepithelial carcinoma and SC can occur in the pediatric population and should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Salivary gland malignancies in children appear to have better clinical outcome, associated with a 10-year recurrence-free survival rate of 74% and a 10-year disease-specific survival of 94%.

Clinical trial of nintedanib in patients with recurrent or metastatic salivary gland cancer of the head and neck: A multicenter phase 2 study (Korean Cancer Study Group HN14-01).

BACKGROUND: Salivary gland cancers (SGCs) are uncommon and account for less than 5% of all head and neck cancers, but they are histologically heterogeneous. No specific therapy, including targeted agents, has consistently improved clinical outcomes in recurrent/metastatic SGC. Recent studies suggest that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) play important roles in SGC. Nintedanib is a potent small-molecule, triple-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and VEGFR3; fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 [FGFR1], FGFR2, and FGFR3; and PDGFRα and PDGFRß). This study sought to determine the antitumor activity of nintedanib in patients with recurrent or metastatic SGC. METHODS: This open-label, multicenter, phase 2, single-arm study was conducted at 11 hospitals in South Korea. Patients with pathologically confirmed recurrent and/or metastatic SGC for whom at least 1 line of systemic chemotherapy had failed were enrolled. Nintedanib was given orally at 200 mg twice a day until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was the response rate. The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival, overall survival, toxicity, and the disease-control rate. The Simon 2-stage minimax design was used. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 54 years, 60% were female, and 95% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. The majority of the patients had adenoid cystic carcinoma (65%), and 40% received at least 2 prior rounds of chemotherapy. After 20 patients were enrolled, the study was stopped because no responders were observed at stage I. There were no partial responses, but the disease-control rate was 75% (15 of 20). The median duration of stable disease was 8.2 months (range, 1.76-12.36 months). At the time of the data cutoff, with a median follow-up of 9.5 months, the median overall survival had not been reached, and the progression-free survival rate at 6 months was 60% (95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.79). Grade 3 adverse events included liver enzyme elevation (25%) and nausea/vomiting (5%). Four patients who required a dose reduction because of a grade 3 liver enzyme elevation showed no further grade 3 events. CONCLUSIONS: Single-agent nintedanib did not yield a partial response but did achieve a 75% disease-control rate with long-term stabilization in SGC patients. Because of the high rate and long duration of disease control with a good safety profile, further investigation is warranted. Cancer 2017;123:1958-1964. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Extensive Regional Metastasis of High-Grade Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of an Unknown Primary Tumor.

PURPOSE: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common salivary carcinoma. It arises most frequently in the major salivary glands, but can also arise in minor glands or intraosseous sites. MEC of an unknown primary occurs very rarely. The present report documents only the third case reported in medical studies. METHODS: A 66-year-old man with previous carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the left posterior oral tongue that had been excised in 2004 and again in 2010 presented with a hard lymph node, 3 × 2 cm at level II of the right neck in July 2015. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) revealed multiple, bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy, with no primary site identified. Fine needle aspiration biopsy and cytologic examination from the right neck was positive for malignancy, suggestive of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. Panendoscopy and biopsy revealed CIS at the tongue bases and tonsils bilaterally (p16-negative). The patient's case was presented to a tumor board, and definitive concurrent cispl.atin-based chemoradiation was recommended for TisN2cM0, stage IVA oropharyngeal CIS, which was completed in November 2015. PET-CT in January 2015 showed complex interval changes, with some areas demonstrating improvement (ie, no uptake in the left neck) and worsening in others (ie, increased metabolic activity in the right neck), suggestive of residual disease. Repeat PET-CT in March 2016 showed increased nodal involvement and increasing standardized uptake value. Bilateral modified radical neck dissection was undertaken, and histologic examination showed high-grade MEC in 51 of 61 lymph nodes with extracapsular spread and soft tissue involvement. RESULTS: The patient died in May 2016 at 2 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Metastatic MEC of an unknown primary is a diagnostic challenge. PET-CT might not be the most reliable diagnostic investigation to identify the primary or metastatic foci, such as was demonstrated in the present case.

[Jejunal perforation secondary to pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma metastasis. Case report and review]. / Perforación yeyunal secundaria a metástasis de carcinoma mucoepidermoide pulmonar. Reporte de caso y revisión de la literatura.

BACKGROUND: The first reported case of intestinal perforation secondary to metastatic lung carcinoma was reported in 1957. Intestinal metastases are present in up to 1.8% of the cases, with small bowel obstruction as the most common clinical presentation. CLINICAL CASE: An 89 year-old male, who was diagnosed with a high-grade pulmonary mucoepidermoid tumour 2 months previously. The patient was admitted to the hospital for 3 days due to diffuse colic abdominal pain of moderate to severe intensity, accompanied by nausea and gastric vomiting, as well as 2 episodes of bloody bowel movements. On physical examination, the patient was noted to have tachycardia and tachypnoea, as well as clinical signs of acute abdomen. He had white cells of 24,900 per mm3, and 87% neutrophils. Exploratory laparotomy was performed, which showed a bowel perforation associated with a tumour mass 15cm beyond the angle of Treitz. Bowel resection and primary anastomosis were performed. The histopathological analysis reported the diagnosis of a high-grade mucoepidermoid tumour with small bowel and mesentery with disease-free surgical margins. Unfortunately the patient had a fatal outcome secondary to hospital-acquired pneumonia. CONCLUSION: The cases of metastases to small bowel are extremely rare, and to our knowledge this is first case reported in Mexico. The patient described went to the emergency room with gastrointestinal bleed and intestinal perforation that required urgent surgical intervention with small bowel resection and primary anastomosis. Unfortunately the patient died secondary to hospital acquired pneumonia.

A phase II study of sorafenib in recurrent and/or metastatic salivary gland carcinomas: Translational analyses and clinical impact.

BACKGROUND: Pre-clinical and clinical evidence suggests a rationale for the use of anti-angiogenic agents, including sorafenib, in recurrent and/or metastatic salivary gland carcinomas (RMSGCs). This study evaluates the activity of sorafenib in patients with RMSGCs and also investigates whether the activity of sorafenib could be related to its main tailored targets (i.e. BRAF, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 [VEGFR2], platelet-derived growth factor receptor α [PDGFRα] and ß, RET, KIT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients received sorafenib at 400 mg BID. The primary end-point was response rate (RR) including complete response or partial response (PR); secondary end-points included RR according to Choi criteria, disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients (19 adenoid cystic cancers, ACC) were enrolled. Six PRs were recorded. RR was 16% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6-32; 11% in ACC and 22% in non-ACC). Choi criteria could be applied in 30 out of 37 cases with a RR of 50% (95% CI: 31-69%); DCR was 76% (95% CI: 59-88%). Incidence of ≥G3 adverse events was 29.7%. Median PFS and OS for the entire population were 5.9 months and 23.4 months, respectively. Median PFS and OS were 8.9 and 26.4 months for ACC versus 4.2 and 12.3 months for non-ACC patients. All the cases showed expression of PDGFRß in the stroma and VEGFR2 in endothelial cells; PDGFRα positivity was found in the stroma of four (27%) cases. All except for two cases showed no PDGFRß, VEGFR2 and PDGFRα expression in the tumour cells. KIT expression was restricted to ACC and a weak RET expression was limited to one adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified (NOS). No BRAF mutation was found. No correlation was observed between the sorafenib activity and the expression of its markers although all six responders (two ACC, one adenocarcinoma, NOS, one salivary duct cancer [SDC], one high-grade mucoepidermoid [HG-MEC] and one poorly-differentiated cancer) are enriched in the stromal component showing a PDGFRß immunodecoration. In ACCs, immunohistochemistry revealed MYB protein expression in 15/16 cases (94%) and the MYB-NFIB fusion oncogene was observed in 9/14 (64%). CONCLUSIONS: Sorafenib is the first anti-angiogenic agent to demonstrate activity in RMSGC patients, particularly in some histotypes such as HG-MEC, SDC and adenocarcinoma, NOS. The PDGFRß-positive rich stromal component characterising these histotypes and the lack of correlation between the activity of sorafenib and its targets suggests anti-angiogenic effect as the prevalent mechanism of action of sorafenib in SGCs.

[Esophageal adenocarcinoma: the clinicopathologic features, patterns of lymph node metastasis and its influencing factors].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics, patterns of lymph node metastasis and the influencing factors in esophageal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: A total of 201 cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma were selected for this study, including 89 cases of pure adenocarcinoma, 57 cases of adenoacanthoma cell carcinoma, 33 cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma and 22 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma. A total of 2026 lymph nodes were dissected with an average of 10 lymph nodes. The rule of lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma was analyzed, and the risk factors for lymph node metastasis were identified. RESULTS: Esophageal adenocarcinoma in the middle thoracic esophagus accounted for 50.7% of all patients, and 43.8% in the lower thoracic esophagus. Ninety out of 201 cases (44.8%) had lymph node metastasis. 322 lymph nodes were positive for metastatic adenocarcioma with a metastatic ratio of 15.9% (322/2026). Among the patients with upper-thoracic esophageal carcinoma, 9.1% (1/11) of the cases had lymph node metastasis in the superior mediastinum but no lymph node metastasis was found in the middle mediastinum, lower mediastinal and abdominal lymph nodes. The middle-thoracic esophageal adenocarcinoma showed more extensive lymph node metastasis. Lower mediastinal and abdominal lymph node metastases were common in lower-thoracic esophageal cancer. Multivariate analysis showed that gender, length of lesion, depth of invasion and vascular invasion were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in esophageal adenocarcinoma (P=0.010, P=0.006, P=0.000, P=0.019, respectively). Male patients had more lymph node metastasis than female patients (49.1% vs 26.3%,P=0.011). The rates of lymph node metastasis in the tumor length ≤3 cm group, 3.1-5 cm group and >5 cm group were 20.4%, 42.9% and 65.7%, respectively. Lymphatic metastasis rates in the T1, T2, T3, T4 stage cancers were 7.1%, 36.8%, 38.1% and 69.4%, respectively, (P<0.001). Patients with vascular invasion had a higher rate of lymph node metastasis (73.9%) than the patients without vascular invasion (41.0%) (P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the esophageal adenocarcinoma are distributed in the middle thoracic esophagus, followed by that in the lower thoracic segment. The lymph node metastasis rate, lymph node metastasis ratio and pattern of lymph node metastasis are similar to those of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Male, tumor length, depth of invasion and vascular invasion are risk factors of lymph node metastasis for patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Cutaneous Metastasis of a Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Pancreas: First Reported Case.

BACKGROUND: Mucoepidermoid pancreatic cancer is a rare entity with only 8 cases reported in the literature. On review of the literature, the authors found that cutaneous metastases in pancreatic cancer are rare and have not been associated with the mucoepidermoid subtype. The authors present the first reported case of cutaneous metastasis in a patient with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the pancreas. CASE PRESENTATION: A 50-year old white male with a metastatic invasive poorly differentiated mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the pancreas was found to have a slow growing lesion in the skin over his left upper quadrant while undergoing active therapy. The lesion was biopsied and the pathology was consistent with pancreatic origin sharing similar morphologic features when compared with the primary pancreactectomy specimen. CONCLUSIONS: Mucoepidermoid pancreatic cancer is an exceedingly rare subtype of pancreatic cancer, with very little information regarding its diagnosis, treatment, and patterns of metastases. Here, the authors present the first reported case of cutaneous metastases of mucoepidermoid pancreatic cancer.

Prognostic Factors and Clinical Outcome in Parotid Gland Tumors: a Single Institution Experience from the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey.

PURPOSE: To review clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with parotid gland tumors treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 69 patients with parotid gland tumors, with a median follow-up of 52 months (range, 2-228 months). and a median radiotherapy dose of 60Gy (range, 30-69 Gy). RESULTS: There were 24 (35%) females and 45 (65%) males, at a ratio of 1/1.9. Median age at presentation was 58.9±17.2 (range 13-88) years. The most common histology was adenoid cystic carcinoma (33%) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (28%). The mean overall survival (OS) was 65.3±8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.6-81.1) months and the median overall survival was 40.0 ± 7 (95% CI, 26.2-53.7) months. The -1, -3, -5 and -10 year OS rates were 78%, 52.4%, 35.3% and 19.6% respectively. The mean disease free survival (DFS) was 79.2±10 (95% CI, 59.3-97.1) months and the median disease free survival was 38±13 (95% CI, 7.05-88.7) months. The -1,-3,-5 and -10 year DFS rates were 71.9%, 50.1%, 43.7% and 30.1% respectively. On univariate analysis, the OS was significantly better with female sex (p<0.005), < 50 age (p<0.021), T stage (p<0.0001), absence of lymph node involvement (p<0.0001), lower tumor grade (p<0.0001), absence of lymphovascular invasion (p<0.002), absence of perineural invasion (p<0.0001), absence of extracapsuler extension (p<0.0001), surgical margin negativity (p<0.006), ≤60 Gy radiotherapy dose (p<0.0001) and absence of distant metastasis (p<0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Employing existing standards of postoperative radiotherapy is a possible treatment that was found to be mainly effective in patients with parotid gland carcinomas.

Colonic metastasis in mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid: a rare occurrence.

We present a case of intermediate-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid with late local recurrence and colonic metastasis. A 69-year-old man who had undergone right total conservative parotidectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy for intermediate-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma 10 years prior, presented with a recurrent swelling in the postoperative site and cardiac failure. On evaluation, he was found to have severe anaemia with positive stool occult blood. Colonoscopic evaluation revealed a globular submucosal bulge with erosion 40 cm from the anal verge, the biopsy of which was consistent with mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The presentation, diagnostic details and management of this rare case are discussed.