Insights from literature of esophageal mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a female: A rare case report

Table 2 Differential diagnosis table for mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus

Characteristic	Mucoepidermoid carcinoma	Squamous cell carcinoma	Adenosquamous carcinoma
Composition	Mixed composition of epidermoid, intermediate, and mucous cells[2]	Primarily composed of squamous cells[3]	Distinct squamous and adenocarcinoma components[8]
Cellular arrangement	Squamous and mucinous cells intermixed[1]	Predominantly shows keratinization and intercellular bridges[4]	Separate squamous and glandular components[5]
Nuclear features	Mild atypia with rare mitotic figures[2]	High nuclear pleomorphism and increased mitotic activity[7]	Variable nuclear features depending on cell type[3]
Mucin production	Mucin-producing glandular structures present[5]	Minimal to no mucin production[4]	Some mucin production possible, but less than MEC[1]
IHC markers	Positive for p63, p40, CEA, CK19, MUC1, MUC4, CK8[1]	Positive for p63, p40, may show keratinization[8]	Positive for CK7 and CEA; p63 may be positive[4]
Surface dysplasia	Typically absent; no surface dysplasia observed[3]	Surface dysplasia is commonly present[5]	Dysplasia may be present in adenocarcinoma components[8]
Diagnosis confirmation	Often requires surgical resection for definitive diagnosis; FISH analysis may be beneficial for MAML2 rearrangement[2]	Diagnosed via biopsy; histological features confirm diagnosis[4]	Diagnosis made by identifying distinct components[7]

CEA: Carcinoembryonic antigen; CK: Cytokeratin: FISH: Fluorescent in situ hybridization; MAML2: Mastermind-like transcriptional coactivator 2; MEC: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma; MUC: Mucin.