A Case of Dedifferentiated Carcinoma of the Parotid Gland

Abstract

We report a case of dedifferentiated carcinoma of the parotid gland. A 48-year-old woman presented to us with a mass in the right parotid region. Computed tomography revealed a peripherally enhancing mass in the right parotid gland. The patient was treated by superficial parotidectomy. The tumor was found to be adherent to the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve. Intraoperative frozen section analysis revealed a malignant tumor. Thus, resection of the tumor with the affected nerve and the surrounding parotid gland tissue and lymph node dissection were performed. Postoperative histopathological examination revealed the diagnosis of dedifferentiated carcinoma of the parotid gland. There has been no recurrence or metastasis until now, one and a half years since the surgery. Dedifferentiated carcinoma of the parotid gland is a rarely encountered disease, therefore, additional case studies are needed to clarify the characteristic clinicopathological features of this disease entity.