Mucoepidermoid carcinoma arising in salivary hyperplasia of the hard palate in a pediatric patient

Primary malignant salivary gland tumors are rare among pediatric patients. There are few reports about mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) in the minor salivary gland in pediatric patients. Herein, we report a case of MEC that arose in salivary hyperplasia on the hard palate in a 10-year-old girl. A 10-year-old girl presented with swelling on the left side of the hard palate. She was referred to our department in October 202X. The patient had experienced swelling of the left hard palate for 2 years, which had been slowly increasing in size. Upon examination, a single, dome-shaped, well-defined mass measuring 18 × 12 mm was observed. Mucosa was normal and there was no tenderness on the left hard palate. The mass showed low signal intensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. A biopsy was performed. Although the result indicated salivary hyperplasia, due to suspicion of tumor, total resection was performed. We resected the mass along with the periosteum and removed one layer of the palatal bone under general anesthesia. Histopathologic examination of the surgical specimen revealed low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. We performed careful follow-up. There was no evidence of recurrence as of 2 years post-surgery.