[Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland in young children].

INTRODUCTION: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland is a rare malignant tumor mostly affecting adults. It accounts for 1 to 3 % of head and neck malignant tumors. It is very rarely observed in children under 10 years of age. OBSERVATION: A four-and-half-year-old boy was brought to consultation in our department, in June 2006, for a left cervical swelling having progressively increased over the previous two years. Cervical US confirmed the presence of a 2.3cm long tumor of the left parotid area, hyperechogenic and heterogenic, associated to a homolateral lymphadenopathy in the jugular and carotid region (zone II), 2cm in diameter. A total parotidectomy preserving the facial nerve was performed. The biopsy extemporaneous histological examination suggested a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Surgery was completed by functional neck dissection. DISCUSSION: Our four-and-half-year-old patient was one of the youngest cases ever reported. Malignant parotid gland tumors are very rarely observed in children: less than 19 cases have been published worldwide. Its occurrence in a young child under ten years of age is very rare. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma accounts for one third of all malignant parotid gland tumors.