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 paro tid salivary glands are unusual occurrences that may pose clinical and diag nostic difficulties. Methods. We applied certain clinicopathological criteria to distinguish bet ween lacrimal and parotid gland primaries in a series of 11 patients with s ynchronous and/or metachronous tumors of similar histology at both sites. Results. Of eight patients with primary lacrimal carcinomas, seven had meta chronous metastases to parotid glands. All three patients with primary paro tid carcinomas had concurrent metastases to lacrimal glands. Patients with primary lacrimal tumors metastasizing to the parotid gland appear to have b etter clinical outcome in comparison with those with parotid primary with s econdary lacrimal metastases. Conclusion. Careful examination of parotid glands in the assessment of any lacrimal gland tumor with high-grade adenocarcinoma morphology is recommend ed to rule out the possibility of a parotid primary. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.