EPITHELIAL-MYOEPITHELIAL CARCINOMA OF THE SALIVARY-GLANDS - A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL, IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL AND DNA FLOW CYTOMETRIC STUDY OF 3 CASES

Epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma is a rare neoplasia of the salivary glands. Histologic, immunohistochemical and flow cytometry analysis w ere used to study three new cases involving the major salivary glands of two women and one man. The mean age was 66.7 years. Immunohistochem istry confirmed the epithelial-myoepithelial dualism of the tumors: th e predominant growth pattern showed ducts made lip of an external myoe pithelial layer and an internal epithelial layer. Proliferative activi ty, assessed by means of the PCNA and Ki-67 immunostaining and the stu dy of the S-phase with flow cytometric analysis, proved to be higher i n a recurrent case. All three cases were diploid. The use of immunohis tochemical and flow cytometric techniques for the assessment of prolif erative activity would seem to be an efficient method for the selectio n of a subgroup of epithelial-myoepithelial carcinomas with unfavorabl e prognosis.