Pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma with endobronchial involvement: A case report

Although mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MEC) commonly occur in the salivary glands, they are rarely encountered in the lungs. In this case report, we present a rare case of pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma with endobronchial involvement in a 36-year-old Indian man who presented to our pulmonary outpatient clinic with a 10-year history of recurrent lower respiratory tract infections. A comprehensive workup was performed in his home country, but did not lead to a definitive diagnosis. At our hospital, high-resolution chest computed tomography was repeated, confirming a well-demarcated soft tissue mass measuring 1.7 x 1.8 x 1.1 cm in the right lower lobe bronchus. This was followed by positron emission tomography (PET) showing intense fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the mass with a standardized uptake value (SUV) of 7.9. The final diagnosis was made by histopathological examination of a resected right lower lobe, which confirmed the diagnosis of low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma, with no metastases found in the lymph nodes. The patient was then referred to a multidisciplinary oncology team, which opted for regular surveillance and follow-up.