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Peer-reviewedCC BYJournal of clinical medicine

A Rare Case of Benign-Appearing Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the Hard Palate in an Adolescent

  • Eun Young Lee1,2
  • Baljinnyam Altangerel1
  • Kang Hee Yu1,2
  1. 1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Medicine and Medial Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
  2. 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
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Abstract

Myoepithelial carcinoma is a rare malignant salivary gland tumor that is particularly uncommon in pediatric patients. A 14-year-old girl presented with a painless, slowly enlarging hard palate mass that had been present for 2 years. Clinically, the lesion closely resembled a benign tumor due to its young presentation age, well-encapsulated state, absence of mucosal ulceration, and lack of lymphadenopathy, leading to an initial diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma. Complete surgical excision with superficial mucosa preservation was initially performed. However, histopathological examination revealed myoepithelial carcinoma with infiltrative growth despite its well-circumscribed appearance. Consequently, a second-stage wide local excision was performed to achieve adequate safety margins. The patient recovered uneventfully without functional impairment, with preservation of oral mucosal mobility. No evidence of recurrence was observed during 18 months of follow-up. This case demonstrates that myoepithelial carcinoma may present as a clinically benign, well-circumscribed palatal mass even in pediatric patients, emphasizing that benign clinical features and a negative intraoperative frozen-section result do not exclude malignancy and highlighting the importance of careful permanent histopathological examination and long-term postoperative surveillance.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{lee2026rare,
  title = {{A Rare Case of Benign-Appearing Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the Hard Palate in an Adolescent}},
  author = {Eun Young Lee and Baljinnyam Altangerel and Kang Hee Yu},
  journal = {Journal of clinical medicine},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/jcm15197708},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13665991},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - A Rare Case of Benign-Appearing Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the Hard Palate in an Adolescent
AU  - Eun Young Lee
AU  - Baljinnyam Altangerel
AU  - Kang Hee Yu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Journal of clinical medicine
DO  - 10.3390/jcm15197708
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13665991
AB  - Myoepithelial carcinoma is a rare malignant salivary gland tumor that is particularly uncommon in pediatric patients. A 14-year-old girl presented with a painless, slowly enlarging hard palate mass that had been present for 2 years. Clinically, the lesion closely resembled a benign tumor due to its young presentation age, well-encapsulated state, absence of mucosal ulceration, and lack of lymphadenopathy, leading to an initial diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma. Complete surgical excision with superficial mucosa preservation was initially performed. However, histopathological examination revealed myoepithelial carcinoma with infiltrative growth despite its well-circumscribed appearance. Consequently, a second-stage wide local excision was performed to achieve adequate safety margins. The patient recovered uneventfully without functional impairment, with preservation of oral mucosal mobility. No evidence of recurrence was observed during 18 months of follow-up. This case demonstrates that myoepithelial carcinoma may present as a clinically benign, well-circumscribed palatal mass even in pediatric patients, emphasizing that benign clinical features and a negative intraoperative frozen-section result do not exclude malignancy and highlighting the importance of careful permanent histopathological examination and long-term postoperative surveillance.
SN  - 2077-0383
ER  -