Bronchial Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma In Childhood: Case Report And Review Of The Literature

Objective: To report a very rare case of a 7-year-old boy in our hospital with bronchial mucoepidermoid carcinoma and review the literature, in order to discuss the possible clinical and pathological characteristics as well as the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of the disease. Methods: Analysis of the case in terms of its clinical signs and symptoms, findings of lab and imaging examinations and its pathologic and immunohistochemistric results followed by review of the literature. Result: A 7-year-old boy was hospitalized with prolonged pneumonia. Computed tomography of the chest showed a tumor in the right middle mediastinum with associated post-obstructive pneumonia. A successful resection was performed. Histologically, the tumor was a mucoepidermoid tumor originating from the bronchus with lymph node metastasis in the drainage area. The postoperative period was uneventful and the patient was in good health at 48 months' follow-up. Conclusion: Bronchial mucoepidermoid carcinoma, which constitutes one form of bronchial adenoma, is very rare in children. Its presenting symptoms are non-typical. X-ray, CT and MRI 3-dimensional reconstruction are helpful for diagnosis while pathologic and immunohistochemistric results are needed for identification. If necessary, bronchoscopy and CT-guided percutaneous pulmonary biopsy can also be performed before surgical resection, which is considered to be the optimal treatment for this disease to date. Most cases have a good prognosis and patients usually keep healthy for a long time after surgical resection. Hence, persistent clinical signs and symptoms of atelectasis and pneumonitis irresponsive to non-neoplasm treatment should prompt referral for further investigation on this disease.