Pattern of Head-and-Neck Malignancies in the Pediatric Population

Background: Head-and-neck malignancies are uncommon in childhood unlike in adults, also it contributes to low proportion of overall cancer incidence among children. The number in India has been increasing in the recent past. Hence, we conducted a study to know the pattern of head-and-neck cancers in hospitalized patients of 0–18 years’ age group. Aim: The aim was to study the pattern of different types of head-and-neck malignancies in the pediatric age group (<18 years) in a referral hospital. Subject and Methods: We have conducted an observational study of pediatric head-and-neck malignancies in our tertiary care center. All children in the age group of 0–18 years were included in the study. A total of 72 cases were taken retrospectively and prospectively from various departments of hospital which deal with pediatric patients. Results: Our study comprises total 72 cases, maximum cases were of acute lymphocytic leukemia with secondaries in neck n = 21, followed by 9 cases were of acute myeloid leukemia with secondaries in the neck. Carcinomas of the nasopharynx and parotid both were 8 in number; 15 cases were of Hodgkin/non-Hodgkin lymphoma with involvement of neck nodes. The least number of cases was of carcinoma mandible, Burkitt lymphoma, and chronic myeloid leukemia with secondary neck nodes. Most cases presented with right-sided neck mass or lymphadenopathy. Male-to-female ratio was 1.78:1 in all cases. Most of the cases were diagnosed either by bone marrow aspiration biopsy, fine-needle aspiration cytology, or excisional biopsy. Conclusion: Malignancy is one of the differentials of pediatric neck masses. Hematological malignancies and lymphomas are still two major contributors of head-and-neck cancers in the pediatric age group.