Sachin Gandhi¹, Shradha Saindani²*, Renuka Mundalik³ and Vishakh Nair³

¹Consultant at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India
²Junior Consultant at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India
³Resident Doctor at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India

*Corresponding Author: Shradha Saindani, Junior Consultant at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India.

Received: November 18, 2025; Published: November 24, 2025

Abstract

Background: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the sinonasal tract is an extremely rare malignancy that may present with nonspecific symptoms such as facial swelling, nasal obstruction, or trismus, leading to delayed diagnosis.

Case Presentation: A 46-year-old male presented with a 2-year history of right-sided cheek swelling and right sided nasal obstruction. Clinical examination revealed a nasal mass. Imaging and biopsy with debulking was conducted. Histopathology confirmed low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The patient was referred for chemoradiotherapy.

Conclusion: This case highlights the importance of including sinonasal MEC in the differential diagnosis of chronic cheek swelling and nasal obstruction. Timely diagnosis and tailored treatment are essential for better prognosis.

Keywords:Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma; Paranasal Sinus Tumor; Trismus; Sinonasal Malignancy; Nasal Mass

References

1. Waldron CA., et al. “Tumors of the intraoral minor salivary glands: a demographic and histologic study of 426 cases”. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology 3 (1988): 323-333.
2. Luna MA. “Salivary mucoepidermoid carcinoma: revisited”. Advances in Anatomic Pathology6 (2006): 293-307.
3. Dulguerov P., et al. “Nasal and paranasal sinus carcinoma: are we making progress?” Cancer 12 (2001): 3012-3029.
4. Lopes MA., et al. “Histopathology and prognosis of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands”. The Journal of Laryngology and Otology 11 (2002): 831-835.
5. Laurie SA and Licitra L. “Systemic therapy in the palliative management of advanced salivary gland cancers”. Journal of Clinical Oncology17 (2017): 2673-2678.
6. Seethala RR. “Histologic grading and prognostic biomarkers in salivary gland carcinomas”. Advances in Anatomic Pathology 1 (2011): 29-45.
7. Bell D and El-Naggar AK. “Molecular heterogeneity in mucoepidermoid carcinoma: conceptual and practical implications”. Head and Neck Pathology1 (2013): 23-27.
8. Garden AS., et al. “Postoperative radiotherapy for malignant tumors of the paranasal sinuses”. International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics 1 (1997): 113-118.
9. Okada T., et al. “NTRK fusion in mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the sinonasal tract: therapeutic implications”. Head and Neck Pathology2 (2020): 216-222.
10. Spiro RH. “Salivary neoplasms: overview of a 35-year experience with 2,807 patients”. Head and Neck Surgery3 (1986): 177-184.

Citation

Citation: Shradha Saindani., et al. “A Rare Case of Low-Grade Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma Presenting as Chronic Facial Swelling and Nasal obstruction".Acta Scientific Otolaryngology 7.12 (2025): 13-17.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Shradha Saindani., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.