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Letter
Characterisation of metastases in parotid gland lesions: clinical and cytological insights
  1. Federica Policardo1,
  2. Angela Feraco1,
  3. Pietro Tralongo2,
  4. Federica Vegni1,
  5. Antonino Mule'1,
  6. Liron Pantanowitz3,
  7. Esther Diana Rossi1
  1. 1Anatomic Pathology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy
  2. 2Anatomic Pathology and Histology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy
  3. 3Anatomic Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
  1. Correspondence to Professor Esther Diana Rossi; esther.rossi{at}policlinicogemelli.it

https://doi.org/10.1136/jcp-2024-209663

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    Data from the literature have shown that metastases to the salivary glands are mostly encountered in the parotid gland, representing around 5% of all salivary malignancies,1–3 due to the presence of intra-and-peri-parotid lymph nodes.1–3 More than 80% of salivary metastases are derived from squamous cell carcinomas (SqCCs) of the head and neck region, followed by cutaneous carcinomas and then mucosal melanomas.1–3 Of note, although less common, metastatic carcinomas from the breast, lung, kidney and prostate have also been reported to involve the parotid gland.1–3

    The distinction between a primary salivary gland neoplasm and a metastasis is challenging in either histological or cytological samples, and highly relevant for therapy and prognosis.

    Fine needle aspiration (FNA) represents an important diagnostic tool, which can yield a definitive diagnosis in 80% of benign and malignant salivary entities.1–4 Metastatic salivary lesions, which frequently exhibit morphological features of a high-grade malignancy, are impossible to accurately diagnose and distinguish from a high-grade primary salivary malignancy, without the support of clinical history, immunocytochemistry (ICC) and molecular testing.5–7 …

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    Footnotes

    • LP and EDR are joint senior authors.

    • FP, AF, PT and FV are joint first authors.

    • Handling editor Munita Bal.

    • Contributors FP, AF, PT, FV and AM contributed to the revision. EDR and LP contributed with the idea and draft, revision and pictures for EDR.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.