Parotid neoplasms in children: experience of diagnosis and management in a district general hospital

Abstracts on this page have been chosen and edited by Dr Trevor Watts

Abstract

Twelve of these rare tumours were identified, and most complications of treatment were minor.

Main

Ethunandan M, Ethunandan D et al. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2003; 32: 373–377

Most published data on salivary gland tumours in children are from specialized centres, and this paper describes the experience of a general hospital in Sussex. Records were examined for all parotidectomies from 1974 to 1999. There were 545 parotidectomies for neoplastic conditions in 536 patients, with 569 diagnosed neoplasms. Twelve of these were in subjects aged up to 18 yrs.

There were 8 pleomorphic adenomata, and one spindle cell myofibroblastic nodule which had originally been diagnosed as a benign neural sheath tumour. Three malignant tumours were all low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinomata. Clinical examination had shown no signs suggestive of malignancy in any patient. All patients were treated with parotidectomy, and half developed facial nerve weakness; this lasted no longer than 6 months except in one case where a portion of the nerve had been intentionally removed.

All carcinomata were given postoperative radiotherapy. Recurrent disease occurred only in one 6 yr-old patient with invasive carcinoma and positive margins. Frey's syndrome developed only in one patient. Follow-up was for a median 4.5 years, with no evidence of disease at the last visit in any patient.