Paediatric intraoral mucoepidermoid carcinoma mimicking a bone lesion

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the salivary glands occurs most frequently in adults during the fifth and sixth decades of life. Although uncommon, it is the main malignant salivary gland tumour in children, particularly adolescents. CASE REPORT: A 14-year-old girl presented with a mass in her palate that had had a duration of one year. On panoramic X-ray, a well-delimited radiolucent area was observed on the left maxillary sinus region. The initial clinical diagnostic hypothesis was that this was a central giant cell granuloma. An incisional biopsy was performed and the final microscopic diagnosis was mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The tumour was removed by a wide transoral resection and the patient has been asymptomatic for 4 years. CONCLUSION: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma in paediatric patients is uncommon, but it must be considered in differential diagnoses of intraoral submucosal mass/nodules in children, particularly in the palate.