Unusual lesions of the parotid gland

Ten unusual cases of parotid tumors are added to the literature from a series of 318 consecutive parotidectomies. These 10 cases are: 3 branchial cleft cysts; a lipoma; a lymphangioma; a hemangiopericytoma; a Boeck sarcoid; a metastasizing basal cell carcinoma; a lymphoma of the parotid; and a metastatic adenocarcinoma from the left breast to the right parotid. The lymphoma, Case 1, is also an example of some other cranial nerve taking over the function of the facial nerve when it is destroyed in early childhood. Though most tumors of the parotid gland are of the mixed type, many surprising findings are possible. The pathology report may be the first clue to a hidden systemic disease.