title: Malignant salivary gland tumors: squamous cell carcinoma of the submandibular gland in a child.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Malignant neoplasms of the salivary glands are extremely unusual in the pediatric age group.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report an 11-year-old boy who presented with a mass in the left submandibular region and a second mass in the jugularfacial venous angle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Histologic evaluation determined that this was a squamous cell carcinoma of the submandibular gland with metastasis to a cervical node. Review of the literature was undertaken to identify the rate of malignant salivary gland tumors in children. Malignant salivary gland tumors are extremely rare in children. When malignancy does occur, nearly 90% are present in the parotid gland. The submandibular gland is effected in 7.7% of cases. The most common malignancy in salivary glands of children is the mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma occurs in less than 2% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Salivary gland tumors are very rare in children in contrast to adults. The proportion of malignant tumors in children is higher than that observed in adults; however, it is not possible to draw conclusions concerning treatment from the few case reports that exist. A higher rate of local recurrence and cervical lymph node metastasis may be expected in children.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenkranke, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rasp
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Permanetter
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000556:secondary*; D002648:Child; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D013365:Submandibular Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*