Contributed by Sanja Dacic, MD, PhD and Douglas R. Johnson, MD
Published on line in September 2001
This 53-year-old woman presented with a progressively enlarging, painless mass in the area of the left parotid gland. The mass had been present for more than one year. The patient denied any facial nerve dysfunction or weight loss. Physical exam revealed a firm, non-tender mass in the area of the left parotid gland. A left superficial parotidectomy was performed.
The specimen consisted of a 5.2 cm pink-tan superficial lobectomy of the left parotid gland. The cut surface demonstrated a 2.9 cm well-circumscribed, solid, soft, yellow to yellow-white tumor with a focal 0.3 cm central stellate scar (Images 1 and 2). The tumor was pushing against adjacent parenchyma in an expansive rather than infiltrative manner.