Tracheal mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a 7-year-old child

Mucoepidermoid cancers are rare tumors that arise from the serous and mucous glands of the upper airway and salivary glands. Patients, especially children, with tumors that arise in the trachea and upper airways are often misdiagnosed as asthmatic and are treated with bronchodilators without resolution. A 7-year-old girl who had been diagnosed as asthmatic was subsequently found to have a mucoepidermoid tumor of the trachea. She underwent a successful tracheal resection and remains tumor free on follow-up bronchoscopy at 16 months.