Spectrum of head and neck cancer in children

AIM: To assess the incidence of different head and neck cancers in pediatric age group in a referral hospital. METHODS: In this prospective study, children below the age of 12 years underwent a thorough clinical, ENT examination and the diagnosis was conformed histologically in all the cases. RESULTS: Fifty-three were diagnosed to be suffering from different head and neck neoplasms among 21,216 children (0.25%). Male-to-female sex distribution was 1.78:1. The lymphomas were the most common (43.39%) followed by the rhabdomyosarcoma (20.75%) and the nasopharyngeal carcinoma (15.09%). Of the lymphomas, the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was predominant (26.41%). Other lesions were thyroid carcinomas and mucoepidermoid carcinoma of parotid. CONCLUSIONS: Malignancy should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of masses in the head and neck region in children.