Salivary Duct Carcinoma: Case Reports and Brief Review of the Literature

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is an uncommon and highly aggressive tumor associated with high morbidity and mortality. According to the World Health Organization, it is an extremely rare malignancy with an estimated incidence of 1-1.2 in 1,000,000 patients. Standard treatment for SDC is wide surgical resection along with lymph node dissection followed by adjuvant radiation therapy. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy is not known. In this report, we present three cases of SDC. A 71-year-old female with T1N0M0 disease was treated with total parotidectomy, ipsilateral neck dissection, and adjuvant radiotherapy without evidence of disease recurrence at 5 months. The second is a 59-year-old female with TXN1M0 disease who was treated with total parotidectomy with ipsilateral level I-IV neck dissection and adjuvant radiotherapy without evidence of disease occurrence at 21 months. The third case is a 79-year-old male with widely metastatic disease, including brain metastases, treated with cranial irradiation, leuprolide, and lapatinib who remains under home hospice care.

Familial bilateral nodular oncocytic hyperplasia of the parotid gland in mother and son

This case series reports familial cases of nodular oncocytic hyperplasia (NOH) diagnosed in a mother and her son, 15 years apart. A 39-year-old man presented in 2003 with a lump below his left ear. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed showed multifocal parotid nodules and a diagnosis of NOH was histopathologically confirmed following left total parotidectomy. Two years later, he represented with similar symptoms on the right side. NOH was diagnosed following excision of his right parotid gland. In 2018, his 73-year-old mother presented with left ear pain and a lump below her left ear. An MRI scan showed multiple lesions within both parotid glands and bilateral NOH was once again diagnosed following a left superficial parotidectomy and right total parotidectomy. We believe that this is the first reported case of bilateral familial NOH.

Ectopic sphenoid sinus pituitary adenoma masquerading as metastatic head and neck cancer

A 68-year-old Chinese man was found to have a lobular mass in the sphenoid sinus which extended to the clivus and the roof of the nasopharynx on a staging MRI scan performed for his high-grade parotid salivary duct carcinoma. Further positron emission tomography scan showed that this lesion was fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) avid. This proved to be a diagnostic dilemma. The patient underwent a total parotidectomy, left selective neck dissection and a transphenoidal biopsy of his nasal lesion. Final histology revealed that this lesion was a synchronous ectopic sphenoid sinus pituitary adenoma (ESSPA). Initial differential diagnoses that were considered included a chordoma, metastatic carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. However, an important differential with a neoplastic appearance and a tendency for positive FDG uptake is an ESSPA. It requires dedicated immunohistochemical staining to diagnose, and its mainstay of treatment is surgical excision.

Facial Nerve Preservation In Treatment Of Primary Parotid Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report

BackgroundPrimary squamous cell carcinoma rarely occurs in parotid gland. Partial, superficial or total parotidectomy as well as radical resection is performed based on patients’ conditions. For patients with symptoms of facial nerve weakness or dysfunction, facial nerve preservation is considered justifiably, whereas groundlessly if the malignancy is asymptomatic. We hereby reported a case of symptomatic primary parotid squamous cell carcinoma performed with total parotidectomy and facial nerve preservation.Case summaryWith the complaint of an asymptomatic mass in right parotid gland for five years and it grew aggressively and pricked recent months, a 46-year-old man visited the local hospital two week ago. A biopsy was performed and squamous cell carcinoma in right parotid gland was diagnosed. He was subsequently referred to Tongji hospital in Wuhan, China. Physical exam revealed a scar in the right parotid gland and impaired function of right facial nerves. An immoveable mass was touched in lower and posterior pole of right parotid gland. The mass was about 2.1*3.1 cm without clear boundary, and moderate pain was observed. No obvious enlarged lymph node was touched in right submandibular region and neck. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 1.6*2.4 cm nodular located in a diffuse suspicious mass in right parotid gland. Radical resection of the malignancy was rejected due to the inevitable facioplegia. Considering the short history of tumor aggressive behaviors, unique anatomical structure of parotid gland and absent sign of lymph node metastasis, total parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation and elective right neck dissection were performed. Finial pathological examination confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of right parotid gland. Post-operation radiotherapy was scheduled in the following month. Restoration of facial nerve function was observed in two months later, absent local recurrence and distant metastasis was observed in the three years’ follow-up.Conclusion Primary parotid squamous cell carcinoma is rarely observed in clinical and facial nerve sacrifice requires great attention in treatment. Based on carefully evaluation of patients’ conditions before treatment, individualized treatment is crucial for improvement of patients’ quality of life while completely dissection of the malignancy.

Sialodochitis fibrinosa managed with staged bilateral total parotidectomy

ObjectiveThis paper reports a rare case of a 61-year-old man with sialodochitis fibrinosa.MethodsClinical case report and review of current literature.ResultsSialodochitis fibrinosa is a diagnosis of exclusion and in many cases can be managed conservatively. Conservative management failed for this patient and he was managed successfully with staged bilateral total parotidectomy.ConclusionSialodochitis fibrinosa should be considered as a differential diagnosis of painful bilateral facial swelling. While conservative management is successful for many patients, staged bilateral total parotidectomy may be necessary for full remission of symptoms; the timing of this is crucial to reduce the risk of facial nerve palsy.