title: Juvenile intraoral mucoepidermoid carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the clinicopathologic, treatment, and outcome features of a series of intraoral mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MECs) affecting children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1953 and 2006, from 102 intraoral MECs, 9 (8.8%) affected patients under 18 years of age. Clinical data were retrieved from the medical records, the microscopical slides reviewed, and the tumors graded in low, intermediate, and high grades of malignancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five cases occurred in females and 4 in males, with a mean age of 14 years. Seven cases affected the palate, and the other 2 occurred in the buccal mucosa and retromolar area. Most patients presented in initial clinical stages and all cases were surgically treated. Microscopically, 7 tumors were classified as histologically low-grade malignancies. Eight patients did not show tumor recurrence after a mean follow-up of 98.4 months (range, 4 to 278 months), and 1 patient developed local and neck recurrences and died after 15 years of initial treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Juvenile MEC are rare tumors, most occur in the palate and present as a low-grade malignancy with excellent prognosis. Although rare, MEC should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intraoral submucous nodule in young patients.
authors.affiliation: Oral Pathology, Ribeirão Preto University, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. perezdec2003@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Danyel Elias Cruz
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Fábio Ramôa
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.forename: Fábio de Abreu
authors.initials: Fde A
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Márcio Ajudarte
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Oslei Paes
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: Luiz Paulo
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Kowalski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018277:Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome