Pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma (PMEC) in children is a rare entity. The diagnosis is often unrecognized, often treated as pneumonia, a more frequent diagnosis at this age.
Case presentation: The authors report in this article, the case of a 12-year-old child with a clinical history of chronic cough evolving for 6 months with recurrent episodes of pneumonia. The presence of a foreign body was suggested on the thoracic computed tomography (CT). PMEC was histopathologically determined on biopsy. Fluorine-18-fluorodesoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18 F-FDG PET)/CT was performed as part of the extension work-up prior to surgical management.
Clinical discussion: Preoperative imaging with 18F-FDG PET/CT seems to be a valuable tool for predicting tumor grade, nodal stage, and postsurgical prognosis in mucoepidermoid carcinoma. PMEC patients with high 18F-FDG PET/CT uptake may need extensive mediastinal lymph node dissection and adjuvant therapy.
Conclusion: PMEC has different presentations depending on the degree of tumor differentiation on PET/CT whose input in the management of these rare cancers requires further studies.
Keywords: 18F-FDG PET/CT; case report; children; pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma.
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