Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of parotid in children-A rare case report

Abstract

Introduction: Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the parotid arises from the pluripotent cells of the gland .It accounts for 5 percent of the salivary gland tumors that arise in the salivary gland. About 45% ofmucoepidermoidcarcinomas occur in theparotid gland, and appear around the fifth decade of life but it is very rarely found in pediatric age group. Here we report a case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a 10-year-old girl who presented with an asymptomatic mass on the left cheek for 1 year Case Report : We report a case of a 10yr female child with complains of swelling on left side of the cheekwhich was painless, slow-growing mass and was firm since 1 year. USG showed mass in the parotid region with enlarged juglodiagastic node. FNAC showed possibility of Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid .Patient was then taken for OT and surgical treatment involved total parotidectomy and facial nerve was preserved as much as possible along with neck dissection which involved excision of juglodiagastic lymph node. The postoperative period was uneventful. On follow up after 6 months the patient was asymptomatic and there was no recurrence Conclusion: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid is very rare in children. Clinical stage and histological grade are the main prognostic factors. Complete excision with preservation of facial nerve is the treatment of choice. Neck dissection should be considered when there is clinical evidence of regional metastasis, high TNM stage, high histologic grade, and involvement of regional nodes. Because of the possibility of long-term adverse effects in pediatric patients, radiotherapy should be used only in selected cases. Long-term follow-up is essential to rule out late recurrence. Although rare, the presence of a parotid mass with progressive growth in a child could correspond to a mucoepidermoid carcinoma.