Bilateral mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma of the parotid gland

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) tumors of the parotid gland are ex tranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Stage I and II MALT tumors are usually trea ted with surgery or radiotherapy. Bilateral MALT-derived non-Hodgkin lympho ma of the parotid glands is rare, and optimal treatments is debatable. Two patients presented at the otorhinolaryngology department of the Friedrich-A lexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany. The treatment strategy that was used in case 1 was also successfully used in case 2. A p recise diagnosis could not be made by either fine-needle biopsy or intraope rative frozen section biopsy; it was achieved with open biopsy. Surgery and /or radiotherapy proved to be effective. There was no recurrence of disease in either case. The advantages of surgery are complete resection of the tu mor and absence of xerostomia and mucositis, which are caused by irradiatio n. Radiotherapy does not produce a scar or an indentation at the parotid re gion, however, and results in a better cosmetic appearance. Therefore, we r ecommend open biopsy with facial nerve monitoring and subsequent irradiatio n in cases in which bilateral prominence of the parotid glands and suspicio n of a MALT lymphoma are both present.