Intraoral Pleomorphic Adenoma in Young Patients.

BACKGROUND: Intraoral pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is rare in young individuals, with only single clinical reports or small patient series reported previously.

AIM: The aim of this study was to describe the clinicopathological features of PA in 4 patients under 18 years of age, and to discuss the differential diagnosis of pediatric patients presenting with intraoral submucosal nodules.

METHODS: Between 2000 and 2015, all patients of intraoral PA in patients aged ≤18 years diagnosed in the Oral Pathology Laboratory of the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil, were retrieved for the study. Clinical data were recorded from the clinical charts. Histopathological slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis.

RESULTS: There were 4 cases of PA in patients aged ≤18 years. All patients in this patient series were males, with a mean age of 16.7 years. Three cases occurred in the palate, and in 1 case, the upper lip was affected. All PAs appeared as a painless, smooth surface, well-circumscribed, and submucosal nodule. All patients were surgically excised and subsequent histopathological analysis revealed well-circumscribed tumors composed of cells that were arranged in ducts within a fibromyxoid stroma. No signs of recurrence were observed in 3 patients after a mean follow-up of 30 months. One patient is lost to follow-up.

CONCLUSION: Although PAs are unusual in young patients, they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of oral submucosal nodules.