North American Pediatric Salivary Gland Tumor Registry

Salivary gland tumors are more likely to be cancerous in children when compared to adults. About half of the salivary gland tumors are cancerous in children. Most of the tumors occur in a salivary gland called parotid gland (located at the angel of the jaw below the ear lobes on both sides). The types of cancerous salivary gland tumors include:

• Mucoepidermoid carcinoma
• Adenoid cystic carcinoma
• Acinic cell carcinoma
• Adenocarcinoma NOS
• Mammary analogue secretory cancer

With the newly available molecular studies, salivary gland tumors can be accurately diagnosed. Several questions remain  about the optimal treatment of salivary gland tumors in children.

• What is the role of lymph node dissection in children with salivary gland tumors?
• Is radiation therapy indicated in children with positive tumor margin or positive lymph nodes?
• How do we undertake surveillance for tumor recurrence?

Registry goals

• To enroll all children diagnosed with salivary gland tumors in North America and collect clinical and biological information.
• To serve as a resource for patients and their families, and treating physicians to ensure optimal treatment of children with salivary gland cancers.
• To serve as a resource for researchers involved in pediatric salivary gland tumor research.

How to enroll

If you or your child is diagnosed with a salivary gland tumor and you are interested in finding more information about this registry, please contact us by emailing raretumors@texaschildrens.org or by calling 832-824-6835.

Registry personnel

Rajkumar Venkatramani, MD, MS, MBA, Pediatric oncologist
Murali M. Chintagumpala, MD, Pediatric oncologist
Daniel C. Chelius, MD, Pediatric ENT surgeon
Josalind Randall, Research Coordinator