Original Article Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the breast Luca Di Tommaso1, Maria P. Foschini1, Teresa Ragazzini1, Elisabetta Magrini1, Adele Fornelli2, Ian O. Ellis3 and Vincenzo Eusebi1 (1) Dipartimento di Scienze Oncologiche, Sezione di Anatomia Patologica, Università di Bologna, Ospedale Bellaria, Via Altura 3, 40139 Bologna, Italy (2) Anatomic Pathology, Ospedale Maggiore, Bologna, Italy (3) Department of Histopathology, City Hospital NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom Abstract Five cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the breast are reported. All patients were women ranging in age from 29 years to 80 years. As histological grading is one of the most important prognostic factors in breast invasive carcinomas, MEC was graded using the Auclair et al. [1] grading system specific for MEC of salivary glands and the Elston and Ellis [4] grading method, a widely employed grading system in breast cancer. It was found that the two different grading systems appear to be interchangeable in assessing the grade of MEC of the breast. Accordingly, three cases were regarded low grade (G. 1), one intermediate (G. 2) and one high grade (G. 3). The cases were studied with immunohistochemistry and were found to have the same keratin pattern shown by their salivary gland counterpart. It was found that there are more similarities than differences between MEC of the breast and of salivary glands. Virchows Archiv ISSN: 0945-6317 (Paper) 1432-2307 (Online) DOI: 10.1007/s00428-003-0923-y Issue: Volume 444, Number 1 Date: January 2004 Pages: 13 - 19 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.