Bronchial mucoepidermoid carcinoma: rare tumor in children

Background. Lung neoplasms are rare in children. Mucous and serous glands from trachea and upper airway contain similar cells to those of the major salivary glands. Of these glands there is a group of very rare tumors including adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, pleomorphic adenoma, acinic cell carcinoma and oncocytoma. Mucoepidermoid carcinomas represent 0.2% of cases of lung cancer at any age, and slightly more than 100 children have been reported with this entity in the world literature. Formerly classified as bronchial adenoma, this term is inappropriate for a slow-growing neoplasm and may be locally invasive. These tumors present a relatively benign course when they correspond to tumors of low-grade malignancy and may be manifested as recurrent pneumonia or slow resolution. Children with these clinical manifestations should be thoroughly evaluated including endoscopic and tomographic studies. Surgical resection of the affected lung lobe with the respective lobar hilar lymph nodes is the most accepted treatment. Case report. We report the case of a 10-year-old female with a history of recurrent airway infection and two left lung pneumonias. Chest tomography showed a left bronchus stenosis confirmed by endoscopy. Following pneumonectomy, the histopathological and immunohistochemical findings reported a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Conclusions. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of low-grade malignancy has a good prognosis with complete tumor excision that requires a comprehensive approach that includes bronchoscopy.