RHABDOMYOSARCOMA PRESENTING AS A PAROTID-GLAND MASS IN PEDIATRIC-PATIENTS - FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY FINDINGS

BACKGROUND, The head and neck region is one of the most common locatio ns of rhabdomyosarcoma. Salivary gland involvement is usually secondar y to advanced disease, and presentation as a primary salivary gland tu mor is very rare. METHODS. Three cases of rhabdomyosarcoma presenting as parotid masses, in 2 boys (ages 3 and 7 years) and a girl (age 5 ye ars), were retrieved from the files of 2 institutions. RESULTS. The th ree patients presented with parotid gland enlargement. Clinically, the enlargements appeared to be inflammatory, and they were treated unsuc cessfully with antibiotics. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) was p erformed on all three patients. The cytologic features varied from one case to another; one case had features of a small round cell tumor, a nother was composed of a monomorphic population of spindle cells in a metachromatic stroma, and the third case was composed mostly of spindl e cells with moderate cellular pleomorphism. Immunohistochemical studi es performed in two of the cases confirmed the diagnosis of rhabdomyos arcoma, and ultrastructural studies were confirmatory in the other cas e. The patients are alive; 2 of them have had no evidence of disease a fter 6 and 9 years of follow-up, and the third, the most recent patien t, has just finished adjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS. With the incr eased use of FNAB for the evaluation of salivary gland masses in child ren, the authors believe that it is important to recognize the occurre nce of rhabdomyosarcoma in this location. Immunohistochemical studies have proved helpful in differentiating rhabdomyosarcoma from other par otid gland tumors and can be readily done on cytologic preparations. C ancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 1998;84:245-51. (C) 1998 American Cancer Soc iety.