Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology Is an Effective Diagnostic Tool in Paediatric Patients with Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma as Secondary Neoplasm

Abstract

Background: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant salivary gland tumour in paediatric population, accounting for 16% of all cases. Patients affected by a previous solid or leukaemic neoplasm during their childhood may develop a second different tumour during the follow-up. In this setting, salivary gland MEC is relatively frequent, accounting for 6% of the second neoplasms in paediatric patients. Consequently, the occurrence of salivary gland nodules in paediatric patients with a previous neoplasm should be considered an event with a high risk of malignancy that poses peculiar diagnostic challenges. Summary: This study was designed to define clinical and instrumental findings and morphological features of MEC on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) samples in paediatric patients with and without a previous neoplasm. Five patients under 19 years are included in this series. FNAC was performed in all patients on a parotid nodule. We have identified 2 groups of patients: (a) 2 cases with previous history of malignancy (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and Hodgkin lymphoma) and (b) 3 cases without previous malignant neoplasms. In all cases, a final diagnosis of MEC was rendered. Key Messages: MEC may occur as a second malignancy in paediatric patients. FNAC is certainly a valid and accurate diagnostic tool for this type of neoplasm, even in the paediatric age, allowing the correct management of the patients.

Myoepithelial sialadenitis with metachromatic matrix: A diagnostic pitfall. A case of salivary gland swelling in a paediatric patient evaluated by fine needle aspiration cytology

“…Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is widely used for the assessment of salivary glands masses, being a rapid, well‐tolerated, safe, inexpensive and accurate technique, which may influence the management of salivary gland lesions. However, FNAC is not widely applied to evaluate salivary gland masses in paediatric patients, although the trend in this particular setting has been recently increasing 1‐2 . Although FNAC is generally characterized by a high diagnostic accuracy in differentiating non‐neoplastic/inflammatory lesions from neoplastic lesions (including both benign and malignant neoplasms) of the salivary glands, the differential diagnosis may sometimes be difficult 3‐4 …”