title: Salivary gland carcinomas in children and adolescents: a population-based study, with comparison to adult cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Salivary gland carcinomas are rare malignancies, particularly in young individuals in whom only scanty data are available from published studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched the SEER database (1973-2006) for patients with a reported diagnosis of salivary gland carcinoma; children/adolescents (<20 years old) were compared with adults.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 263 children/adolescents (58% girls) and 12,571 adults (43% women). The most common histology was mucoepidermoid carcinoma in both groups, but the percentages of other histologies were different. Children/adolescents had more favorable features with most tumors being localized, with no extension to adjacent tissues or lymphatic spread (76% vs 50% in adults, p < .001). Also most tumors were well differentiated or moderately differentiated (88% vs 49% in adults, p < .001). The 5-year overall survival for children/adolescents was 95% ± 1.5%, compared with 59% ± 0.5% for adults (p < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When compared with adults, salivary gland carcinomas in children/adolescents are less advanced, and have more favorable features and better outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan. isultan@khcc.jo
authors.forename: Iyad
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sultan
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Galindo
authors.forename: Sereen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Sharabati
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guzzo
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casanova
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018426:SEER Program; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult