Malignant tumours in infancy and childhood in the maxillo-facial region.
A series of more than 3.500 tumour cases treated between 1955 and 1974 included 18 children up to the end of 14 years of age. Heading the list of malignant tumours were 15 sarcomata (83.33%). There was conclusive evidence of a relationship between the grade of microscopic differentiation of the tumour and the age of the affected patient. The majority of tumours appearing up to the age of 3 years were sarcomata of the embryonal connective tissue. Those appearing later showed a higher degree of differentiation. The carcinomata were of the adeno-type and the organ affected, the salivary glands. The therapeutic results were more successful than one would have expected for 8 children (53.33%) who had had radical surgery alone or combined with irradiation and chemotherapy. The subjects concerned have developed no recurrences for 5-16 years. Present day progress in highly specialized surgery seems to justify radical surgery even in the child. Oncology centres ought to be created where diagnosis and treatment can be subsidised because malignancies in infancy and childhood are rare.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008441:Maxillary Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery