Advance oropharyngeal mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a 9-year-old boy: A case report and review of literature

Abstract

Primary malignant salivary gland tumours are uncommon among the paediatric population, accounting for <10% of all head-and-neck tumours in childhood. Less than 5% of all salivary gland cancers occur during childhood, most of them are diagnosed over the age of 10 years and are histologically low or intermediate grade. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) occurring in the oropharynx of children and arising from the posterior pharyngeal wall is rare and probably never reported. We hereby report a case of advanced MEC arising from the posterior wall of the oropharynx in a 9-year-old boy, managed via a transcervical excision in a resource-poor setting.

Keywords

• childhood
• mucoepidermoid carcinoma
• oropharyngeal