Lymphoepithelial cysts are often found in the lateral cervical region and rarely within the parotid gland.
The patient, α 31-year-old female, complained of a mass in her right parotid gland. On physical examination, a tumor about 2 × 1 cm in size was palpable and the preoperative impression was a benign parotid gland tumor.
Under general anesthesia, the tumor was resected by superficial parotidectomy, and the exposed facial nerve was covered with a sternomastoid muscular flap to prevent Frey syndrome, which often occurs after this kind of operation.
On pathological examination, the tumor was found to be a lymphoepithelial cyst lined with stratified squamous epithelium with abundant lymphoid tissue beneath the epithelium.
We suggest that the cyst may be arose from the ectopic salivary gland tissue in the lymph node within the salivary gland.
