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. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.