Diagnosis and treatment of epithelial salivary gland tumours in children and adolescents

In a series of 2,871 epithelial salivary gland neoplasms managed in the Peking University School of Stomatology between 1974 and 1999, 86 arose in children <16 years of age (52 parotid, 12 submandibular gland, 2 sublingual gland, and 20 minor salivary gland). Considerable delay was encountered in diagnosis (benign 24 months and malignant 16 months). In this group of children, 46 tumours (53%) proved to be malignant, with an incidence in the parotid, submandibular, sublingual, and minor salivary glands of 31/52 (60%), 2/12, 0/2, and 13/20 (65%), respectively. Sixty-six of 86 neoplasms (77%) occurred in children between 10 and 16 years of age. Only six neoplasms were encountered in children of 5 years or younger, four of which were high-grade malignant tumours. Benign tumours were successfully treated by local excision with only one recurrence. Of 46 malignant neoplasms, 8 were treated palliatively; of the remainder 8 were lost to follow-up and 2 patients died of their disease.