Histologically similar, synchronous or metachronous, lacrimal salivary- type and parotid gland tumors: A series of 11 cases

Background. Restricted presentation of malignancy at both lacrimal and parotid salivary glands are unusual occurrences that may pose clinical and diagnostic difficulties. Methods. We applied certain clinicopathological criteria to distinguish between lacrimal and parotid gland primaries in a series of 11 patients with synchronous and/or metachronous tumors of similar histology at both sites. Results. Of eight patients with primary lacrimal carcinomas, seven had metachronous metastases to parotid glands. All three patients with primary parotid carcinomas had concurrent metastases to lacrimal glands. Patients with primary lacrimal tumors metastasizing to the parotid gland appear to have better clinical outcome in comparison with those with parotid primary with secondary lacrimal metastases. Conclusion. Careful examination of parotid glands in the assessment of any lacrimal gland tumor with high-grade adenocarcinoma morphology is recommended to rule out the possibility of a parotid primary.