Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the trachea in a 9-year-old male child: case report and review of literature

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignancy of minor salivary glands in adults. Pulmonary MEC is extremely uncommon, comprising only 0.1–0.2% of the primary lung malignancies and <1% of primary bronchial tumors. It is even rarer in children, and literature is limited to a few case reports only. Here we present a case report of a 9-year-old boy diagnosed with primary MEC of the trachea along with a review of the literature. A 9-year-old male child presented with complaint of dry cough for two years which was later associated with shortness of breath after one year. Bronchoscopic examination revealed a growth arising from right lateral wall of carina occluding 50% of the lumen and detailed histopathological examination revealed it to be a MEC of the trachea. The patient underwent local excision of the tumor with primary anastomosis. Because of positive margin, adjuvant radiotherapy of 60 Gy in 30 fractions was given to the tumor bed. The patient tolerated the treatment well and is disease free at 6 months follow-up. Experience with MEC of the trachea in children is limited, and optimal treatment protocols have not been defined, with current treatment mainly extrapolated from MEC of the salivary glands.