Mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a young adult: recognition, diagnosis, and treatment and responsibility.

Recognizing an abnormality is the first and most essential step when diagnosing a pathosis. All health care providers are responsible for evaluating suspicious symptoms and clinical and laboratory findings. Without a baseline evaluation, dentists cannot guarantee that patients are free of potentially serious disease. This article documents how the prognosis for and morbidity of cancer therapy may have been affected by the failure to recognize abnormal signs. Professional responsibility and liability for recognition of abnormality and subsequent diagnosis is emphasized.