Pediatric head and neck fibrosarcomas: A demographical, treatment, and survival analysis and review of a rare case

Abstract Objective To examine pediatric head and neck fibrosarcoma cases and review the demographics, management, and survival for these patients. Methods Pediatric patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were included from 1973 to 2014 based on a diagnosis of a head and neck fibrosarcoma using ICD- O -3 head and neck primary sites and histology codes. Patients were included from birth–18 years of age. Additionally, a pediatric case of a head and neck infantile fibrosarcoma treated at the Nemours Children's hospital in Orlando, Florida is presented. Results One hundred-thirteen pediatric head and neck fibrosarcomas were identified within the SEER database over the study period. The mean age at diagnosis was 9.8 years (SD: 6.2, range: 0.0–18.0). The mean age at diagnosis for infantile fibrosarcomas was 1.7 years (SD: 3.2, range: 0.0–12.0). Fifty-one (45.1%) patients were female. A majority (N = 67, 59.3%) of patients had dermatofibrosarcoma followed by 18 (15.9%) who had infantile fibrosarcomas. Nearly all patients (N = 107, 94.7%) received surgical intervention. 27.8% of patients with an infantile fibrosarcoma received chemotherapy as a part of their care compared to 1.5% of patients with a dermatofibrosaroma (p = .004). The 5-year disease-specific survival was 97%. Conclusions Pediatric patients with head and neck fibrosarcomas are most likely to present in Caucasian males or females during late childhood or early adolescence. Infantile fibrosarcomas present in pediatric patients at a much earlier age. Surgical management is common for pediatric head and neck fibrosarcomas. Additionally, chemotherapy may be used for infantile fibrosarcomas of the head and neck. Survival rates for pediatric patients with a head and neck fibrosarcoma are excellent.