Pediatric parotid tumors: clinical review of 24 cases in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the incidence, types, and treatment outcomes of pediatric parotid tumors in Chinese population.

METHODS

Pediatric salivary gland tumors treated at Stomatolgy Hospital, of Wuhan University, from 1990 to 2010, were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

One hundred and two patients 18 years old or younger were diagnosed as parotid mass, of which 24 (23.5%) were parotid tumors. Of these patients, 11 (45.8%) were benign and 13 (54.2%) malignant. Hemangioma was the most frequent no-epithelial tumor. The most common benign epithelial tumor was pleomorphic adenoma (63.6%), and the most common malignant epithelial tumor was mucoepidermoid carcinoma (38.5%), with both of them showing a female to male predominance. The most common treatment was parotidectomy (83.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

Although pediatric parotid masses are unusual, they can represent a variety of pathological diagnoses, including malignancy. The intralesional injection can treat parotid hemangiomas in pediatric population effectively. Parotidectomy remains the mainstay treatment for both pediatric parotid gland benign and malignancies of epithelial cell origin. Adjuvant radiotherapy should be used judiciously in pediatric patients due to the higher risk of post-irradiation complications.