Policarpo Mario, Longoni Valentina, Garofalo Pietro, Spina Paolo, Pia Francesco
ENT Department, University of Eastern Piedmont, 28100 Novara, Italy.
Pathology Department, University of Eastern Piedmont, 28100 Novara, Italy.
Case Rep Otolaryngol. 2016;2016:3785979. doi: 10.1155/2016/3785979. Epub 2016 Mar 13.
Myoepithelioma is an extremely rare tumour subtype and diagnosis is based on a wide variation of cellular morphology. FNAC specimens do not always suffice for a definitive differential diagnosis which depends on histology and immunohistochemistry of the lesion. Case Presentation. A 54-year-old female came to our attention with dysphagia and dyslalia of 6-month standing. Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) examination revealed a voluminous mass on the right portion of the base of her tongue, where postcontrast T2-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) evidenced a hyperintense lesion. The fine-needle aspiration specimen taken for cytology was not diagnostic, as a differential diagnosis between myoepithelioma and a malignant neoplasm of the salivary glands necessitates parameters that cytology alone cannot provide. Therefore, the whole lesion was excised by diode laser through a transoral approach. Histology and immunohistochemistry of the completely excised lesion confirmed a myoepithelioma.