Signs and Symptoms
- Presents as painless, slow-growing mass that is firm or hard.
- Most appear clinically as mixed tumors.
- Usually occurs at 30–50 years of age.
- More predilection towards female sex.

Diagnosis
- Histology:
- Tumor is not encapsulated.
- Characterised by squamous cells, mucus-secreting cells, and intermediate cells.
- Molecular biology:
- Mucoepidermoid carcinomas have a recurrent chromosomal translocation resulting in a MECT1-MAML2 fusion gene.
- The fusion gene involves the CREB-binding domain of the CREB coactivator MECT1 and the transactivation domain of the Notch coactivator MAML2.
- Possible association with papillomavirus reported.

Prognosis
- Generally, low-grade tumors have a good prognosis.
- High-grade tumors have a poor prognosis.
- Recent research suggests that recurring low-grade tumors also have a poor prognosis.

Treatment
- Surgery is recommended for localised resectable disease.
- Post-operative radiotherapy can provide local control comparable to complete resection when the tumor is incompletely resected.
- Palliative radiotherapy may be helpful in cases where surgery is not possible or declined by the patient.
- Chemotherapy response tends to be low and short-lived in patients with metastatic disease.

Epidemiology
- Occurs in adults, with peak incidence from 20–40 years of age.
- A causal link with cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been strongly implicated in a 2011 research.
- Relative incidence of mucoepidermoid carcinoma is shown in parotid and submandibular tumors.