Primary mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the pleura

Two cases of primary mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the pleura are described. The patients are 2 men, 48 and 61 years old. Clinically, both men sought care because of chest pain in the right side and breathing difficulty. Neither of the patients had a history of head and neck tumor, and physical examination revealed that no tumor was present in the head and neck area. Radiographic studies in both men disclosed the presence of a pleural-based mass. Both men underwent surgical excision of the mass. Histologically, in both cases the pleura showed areas of fibrinous pleuritis with an underlying neoplastic cellular proliferation composed of cells with epidermoid features without keratinization and presence of mucocytes. Both tumors were classified as low-grade tumors. Both patients were alive and well 8 and 12 months after surgical resection. The cases herein presented highlight the importance of including other epithelial tumors in the differential diagnosis of pleural tumors.