Oncocytic carcinoma of parotid gland

Abstract

Of 0.5% all epithelial salivary gland malignancies are oncocytic cancers, a rare kind of parotid gland cancer. Clinical signs include discomfort and swelling in the cheek region, and the facial nerve is occasionally affected, leading to unilateral facial paralysis. Currently, surgery is the preferred choice of therapy. In this paper, we aimed to provide a case of an 84-year-old male who had an oncocytic carcinoma in the right parotid gland. A heterogeneous, poorly defined hypoechogenic lesion with minor vascular proliferation was seen by Doppler ultrasonography in the superficial lobe of the right parotid gland. On a computed tomography (CT) with contrast agent, an ill-defined mass filling the right parotid gland was evident. With the aid of the CT results of a heterogeneous enhancing mass with poorly defined boundary and expansion of adjacent lymph nodes, it may be able to differentiate between malignant lesions and benign parotid tumors.

Keywords: Computed tomography; Oncocytic carcinoma; Parotid gland; Ultrasound.

Fig. 1

A hypoechoic mass with an ill-defined border was seen on color-Doppler mode ultrasonography in the right parotid gland (arrow).

Fig. 2

Axial CT image without contrast agent (A), axial (B), and coronal (C) CT images with contrast agent showed a heterogeneous enhancing mass (arrow) with an ill-defined boundary in the right parotid gland's superficial and deep lobes.