A Pediatric Case of Submandibular Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma

Pediatric salivary gland carcinomas are a rare neoplasm with a prevalence of 0.9 per million people. On the other hand, 30 to 40% of pediatric salivary gland tumors are malignant. We report herein on a case of submandibular gland carcinoma in a child. The patient was a 9-year-old girl with a right submandibular swelling from three years previously. Ultrasonography revealed a tumor in the right submandibular gland. Fine needle aspiration cytology was performed, and the tumor was diagnosed as class III. There were some atypical findings associated with a benign tumor based on ultrasonography and cytology findings. To make a definite diagnosis, excision of the right submandibular gland was performed. The frozen section showed malignant findings, thus neck dissection was added. The final pathological diagnosis was a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. There has been no recurrence or metastasis for 12 months without adjuvant therapy. An operation should be considered even in children if there are suspicious findings of malignancy.