Low grade mucoepidermoid tumour of the bronchus in childhood: a therapeutic dilemma

Abstract

Bronchial mucoepidermoid tumours (MET) are rare in children. Only 11 cases have been reported in the literature, all of them of the low grade type. A cure is achieved by complete surgical removal of the tumour and bronchoscopy is only used for detection and biopsy. The case of a 12-year-old boy with MET in the bronchus intermedius posed a therapeutic dilemma. In this case, non-intentional removal of the tumour was achieved by bronchoscopy and the patient had no further surgery. Repeated bronchoscopies failed to show recurrence of the tumour after 2.5 years.