2012 Volume 105 Issue 3 Pages 257-260
Parotid gland carcinosarcoma, a very rare malignant salivary gland tumor, has carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. Invasion and locoregional and distant metastasis are common, and monomodal therapy is usually inadequate, necessitating multimodal treatment. A 29-year-old man underwent surgery for a right parotid gland tumor showing no enlargement in the 4 months preceding the operation. Intraoperative histopathological examination showed the tumor to be malignant, involving the facial nerve. We conducted total parotidectomy, facial nerve resection, and nerve reconstruction. Histologically, the tumor involved two malignant cell types-mucoepidermoid carcinoma and chondrosarcoma, yielding a final diagnosis of carcinosarcoma. He underwent postoperative radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy with ifosfamide and paclitaxel. He has had no recurrence or metastasis at the 10-month follow-up, and will require long-term monitoring, which should be recommended in all such cases.
