Epithelial Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the Nasal Cavity: Clinical, Histopathological, and Immunohistochemical Distinction of a Case Report

Abstract

Background: Epithelial myoepithelial carcinomas (EMCs) are rare low-grade salivary gland tumors. Here, we report the case of a 75-year-old man presenting with an oncocytic variant of EMC of the nasal cavity, initially diagnosed as an oncocytoma.

Methods: Our patient underwent functional sinus surgery in 2012. On pathology, an oncocytic neoplasm was found in the right nasal cavity, characterized by fragments of uniform bland oncocytic cells with bilayered arrangement of nuclei. Immunohistochemical stains demonstrated biphasic cells: luminal epithelial and basal cell-type myoepithelial cells. The tumor was best diagnosed as an oncocytoma. In 2015, the patient presented with a recurrent right inferior turbinate lesion, compatible with oncocytic EMC.

Results: The patient underwent oncological surgery and received adjuvant radiotherapy. He had no disease recurrence.

Conclusion: Different variants of EMCs exist, such as oncocytic EMC. EMCs should be treated aggressively because they can be locally invasive, recur, and give rise to distant metastases.

Keywords: epithelial myoepithelial carcinoma; immunohistochemistry; nasal cavity; oncocytoma; salivary gland tumors.