RESUMO ABSTRACTNeoplasias de cabeça e pescoço; Prevalência; Criança; Adolescente.Head and neck neoplasms; Prevalence; Child; Adolescent. Objecti ve: To verify the prevalence of malignant tumors of the head and neck region in infant and juvenile pati ents registered at the Cancer Hospital of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil. Method: This study was a retrospecti ve and cross-secti onal investi gati on in which 126 pati ent records were reviewed between 1995 and 2000. Informati on on the variables gender, age group, primary anatomic localizati on and histological type was recorded and transcribed to a specifi c chart. The data were analyzed using the Stati sti cal Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) soft ware, version 13.0. Results: 23 cases (18.3%) were malignant tumors aff ecti ng the head and neck region of children and adolescents. The age range was between 2 and 17 years (mean age 13 years), and most pati ents were aged 13 to 18 years (65.2%). There was a predominance of male pati ents (65.2%), with a male-tofemale rati o of 1.8:1. The nasopharynx was the most aff ected anatomic region (21.7%), followed by the paroti d gland and oral cavity (17.4%). The most frequent histological types were those derived from the epithelial lineage (48%), among which the undiff erenti ated carcinoma (13%). Among the tumors derived from the mesenchymal ti ssue, the most frequent were rhabdomyosarcoma (30%) and lymphoma (17%).
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Conclusion:Research on infant and juvenile cancer in Brazil address the populati on basis and the mortality in a general manner. Data on the prevalence of malignant tumors of the head and neck region in children and adolescents are sti ll scarce. Further studies on this area should be encouraged because they are important in the elaborati on and planning of nati onal or regional public policies and health programs.