A 40-year-old woman presents with a painless mass anterior to her left ear. The mass had been slowly enlarging over the past year. The mass is firm and nontender. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging reveal a well-circumscribed, homogeneous mass within the left parotid gland. Biopsy reveals anastomosing strands of stellate and fusiform epithelial cells embedded in a myxoid stroma. Which of the following is a characteristic of the lesion?
Pleomorphic adenoma/ Mixed tumor. - Approximately 80% to 90% of salivary gland tumors originate in parotid gland & of these, approximately 70% are pleomorphic adenomas. - The term "mixed tumor" properly applies to this benign tumor, which often demonstrates myxoid & cailage-like elements in addition to stellate or fusiform epithelial cells. - Complete surgical resection is difficult because of tumor's proximity to facial nerve - thus, recurrence is frequent
It is also called papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum.
It is most often localized to the submandibular gland
It is the most common malignant salivary gland tumor.
Recurrence often takes place after surgical resection
Salivary Glands