MELANOMA ARISING WITHIN THE PAROTID SALIVARY-GLAND - A CASE-REPORT AND REVIEW OF MANAGEMENT

Melanoma arising within the parotid salivary gland is an unusual, thou gh well-recognized, phenomenon. Melanocytes are derived, embryological ly, from neural crest tissue and are not a constituent of normal saliv ary tissue. It is, therefore, reasonable to assume that a melanoma wit hin the parotid has arisen either as a metastasis to a parotid lymph n ode or as a metastasis to the gland itself. The primary lesion cannot always be identified-spontaneous regression of melanomas is an equally well-recognized phenomenon. This is a report of such a case, with a r eview of the management.