Minerva Dental and Oral Science 2021 Apr 30

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6329.21.04440-X

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Congenital sialoblastoma in a newborn: diagnostic challenge of a rare entity

Andrea RONCHI ¹, Stefano LUCÀ ¹, Maria Elena ERRICO ², Vittoria D’ONOFRIO ², Pierluigi MARIANI ³, Luigi LAINO ³ ✉, Renato FRANCO ¹, Immacolata COZZOLINO ¹

¹ Division of Pathology, Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy; ² Division of Pathology, AORN Santobono-Pausilipon, Naples, Italy; ³ Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Odontostomatological Specialties, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of a head and neck tumoral mass at birth or shortly afterwards may cause concern and the differential diagnosis may be complex. Sialoblastoma is a rare epithelial tumor of the salivary glands of uncertain malignant potential, which typically affects children and arises more frequently in the parotid gland. The diagnosis may be challenging, as the differential diagnosis is wide.
METHODS: The present paper reports a case of sialoblastoma, present at birth, diagnosed in a 20-day-old girl. The patient was submitted to surgery and the neoplasm was excised “en bloc”. We also carried out a thorough review of all cases of sialoblastoma, diagnosed in the first year of life and reported in the literature, using the PubMed database.
RESULTS: A final diagnosis of sialoblastoma was rendered through histological examination and immunohistochemistry. The neoplasm resulted entirely excised with disease-free surgical margins, and no other therapy was necessary. The 2 years clinical and instrumental follow-up was uneventful.
CONCLUSIONS: Through the present case and the review of the literature, the state of the art is established with regard the clinical aspects, the morphological and immunophenotypic features for diagnostic purpose. Moreover, parameters that can influence the prognosis are evaluated, paying attention especially to the cases of sialoblastoma diagnosed in the first year of life.

KEY WORDS: Sialoblastoma; Newborn; Salivary gland neoplasm; Ki67