Synovial sarcoma of the parotid gland. A case report with clinicopathological analysis and review of the literature

Abstract

Primary sarcomas of the major salivary glands are exceptionally uncommon. Synovial sarcoma is a distinctive neoplasm which usually arises in the extremities in the region of joints. Although synovial sarcomas arising in the head and neck region are well described, tumours actually originating in and around the major salivary glands are exceedingly rare, with few cases reported in the literature. We report a synovial sarcoma in the right parotid gland of a 67-year-old man. The literature pertaining to salivary gland sarcomas and synovial sarcoma of the head and neck region is reviewed.