Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the parotid salivary gland

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a borderline neoplasm characterized by proliferation of endothelial cells with epithelioid morphology. The tumor, in terms of histology and behavior, occupies an intermediate position betwe en hemangioma and conventional angiosarcoma. It is encountered in a wide va riety of sites, such as soft tissues and skin, visceral organs, and bone. This article describe, a slowly growing, painful tumor that developed in th e parotid gland of a 48-year-old white woman and was treated with a superfi cial parotidectomy. Microscopically the lesion consisted of short strands, cords, or small clusters of epithelioid vacuolated cells that exhibited str ong immunoreactivity for endothelial cell markers (CD 31, CD 34, and factor VIII-related antigen). Previous reports have presented epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas in the he ad and neck region but to our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the parotid salivary gland.