Adenoid-cystic carcinoma (cylindroma) of the pyriform sinus in pediatric age.

Adenoid cystic tumors or cylindromas are malignant tumors typical of salivary tissue which often develop in minor salivary glands and, according to some authors, also in common mucosa glands. In these cases such tumors are particularly malignant owing to the frequency in which they re-occur locally and develop distant metastases. The authors report a case of a cylindroma of the pyriform sinus in a young child. An accurate review of the literature did not reveal any previous reports of analogous cases of cylindroma in the pyriform sinus of such a young subject. This finding created notably difficult problems with regard to therapy planning. After discussion of problems, conservative surgery is indicated as the most suitable treatment in these cases, considering that chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone are not highly effective in treating cylindromas and, furthermore, they are contraindicated because of the young age of the patient.