Myoepithelial carcinoma of the salivary gland: pathologic and CT imaging characteristics (report of 10 cases and literature review)

ObjectiveTo summarize the pathologic and computed tomography (CT) imaging characteristics of myoepithelial carcinoma in the salivary gland.Study DesignTen patients with myoepithelial carcinoma of the salivary gland underwent enhanced CT scanning, and the pathologic and CT imaging features were evaluated, including the pathologic type, size, margin morphology, and enhancement pattern of the lesions.ResultsMyoepithelial carcinoma had a multinodular or lobulated outline. The cut surfaces were gray-brown with no or incomplete capsules, and visible bleeding was observed in some cases. The pathologic cell type of the tumor was spindle-shaped, clear, plasmacytoid, or epithelioid cells or a mixture of cell types. Nonenhanced CT imaging showed an irregular lobulated or multinodular lesion with ill-defined margins and inhomogeneous attenuation and punctate calcification in a minority of the lesions. The enhanced CT imaging results revealed moderate and intense inhomogeneous enhancement, including cystic and slit-like regions with no enhancement, intense nodular enhancement, and small tortuous vessels in the arterial phase.ConclusionThe pathologic features and CT imaging findings of myoepithelial carcinoma were characteristic, and familiarity with these imaging findings might aid in the diagnosis of this entity.