Pleomorphic adenoma of the upper lip

Abstract

A 48-year-old woman presented with a submucosal, slow-growing tumor of over 1.5 cm in the left upper lip. The enucleation was performed in local anesthesia and after a curved incision cranial to the tumor. The histopathology showed an encapsulated tumor with three diagnostic components: 1) epithelial (ductal) component forming the inner layer of cysts and tubules, 2) myoepithelial cells as their outer layer and 3) myxoid mesenchymal stroma. The healing was uneventful and only a thin scar on the mucosa was visible in the follow up. Pleomorphic adenoma of the minor salivary gland are less common than those of the major salivary gland, with the upper lip being the second most localisation after the palate. Enucleation is the treatment of choice, with care taken to ensure the pseudocapsule remains intact.