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Minor salivary gland malignancies in the pediatric population
Chad Galer1, Alfredo A Santillan, Daniel Chelius
1Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Insights
Pediatric minor salivary gland cancers are rare. Complete surgical removal with clear margins offers excellent outcomes for early-stage, low-grade tumors, while high-grade cancers have poor prognoses.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Head and Neck Surgery
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Minor salivary gland malignancies are infrequent in children.
- Limited data exists on the optimal treatment and outcomes for pediatric cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze treatment strategies and outcomes for pediatric patients diagnosed with minor salivary gland malignancy.
- To identify prognostic factors influencing survival in this rare pediatric cancer.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients with minor salivary gland malignancy.
- Data collected from a tertiary care cancer hospital spanning from 1952 to 2006.
Main Results:
- 35 pediatric patients were treated; mean age was 15.2 years.
- Five-year overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were 89.3% and 88.4%, respectively.
- Recurrence was linked to positive surgical margins, advanced stage, and high histologic grade, all associated with adverse survival.
Conclusions:
- Complete surgical resection with clear margins is crucial for favorable outcomes in early-stage, low-to-intermediate grade tumors.
- High-grade minor salivary gland malignancies in children have a poor prognosis, even with multimodal therapy.
Background:
Minor salivary gland malignancies in children are rare and data on treatment and outcomes are limited.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review of all pediatric patients with the pathologic diagnosis of minor salivary gland malignancy at a tertiary care cancer hospital was used to conduct this review.
Results:
From 1952 to 2006, 35 children with minor salivary gland cancers were treated at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Mean age was 15.2 +/- 2.9 years with a slight female predominance. Recurrence occurred in 4 patients and was significantly associated with positive margins, advanced stage, and high histologic grade. Overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were 89.3% and 88.4%, respectively, at 5 years. Advanced stage, positive margins, and high grade were associated with adverse survival.
Conclusion:
Minor salivary gland malignancies in children are rare. Surgical resection with clear margins yields excellent outcomes in patients with low-intermediate grade and early stage tumors. Patients with high-grade malignancies do poorly despite multimodality therapy.
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