Minor salivary gland malignancies in the pediatric population

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.