Leiomyosarcoma of the parotid gland: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND

A primary leiomyosarcoma of the parotid gland has been reported only three times in the English literature. This type of tumor represents an extremely rare group of salivary gland neoplasm.

METHODS

A 44 year old man was initially seen with a 5 cm right parotid mass which was resected with a total parotidectomy, preserving the facial nerve. The patient had no palpable cervical lymph nodes.

RESULTS

The majority of the specimen was made up of a relatively well demarcated tumor 5 cm in diameter. The tumor was noted to contain moderate to poorly differentiated primary leiomyosarcoma of the parotid.

CONCLUSIONS

A primary leiomyosarcoma of the parotid gland is an extremely rare existing entity. A review of the literature reveals that primary leiomyosarcoma and other sarcomas of the major salivary glands may share similar histogenesis and biologic behavior with their soft tissue counterparts.