[Parapharyngeal space tumors. Our experience. I.P.O. Francisco Gentil, Lisbon]

Primary parapharyngeal space tumours are rare, representing only a 0.5% of head and neck neoplasms. The authors report a case series review of 38 patients with parapharyngeal tumours who underwent surgical excision between 1975 and 1998. Twenty-six of them were female (68%) and twelve male (32%). Thirty-three tumours (87%) were benign and five (13%) were malignant being the Pleomorphic adenoma the most common neoplasm (39%). All patients were treated surgically: the trans-cervical approach was used in 19 cases, cervical-parotid in 5, the trans-parotid approach in 7 patients, transoral in 5, the cervical-parotid approach with mandibulectomy in 2 and the combined transoral-cervical approach in 1 case. Out of the 33 patients with benign neoplasms, 1 (a pleomorphic adenoma treated through a transoral approach) had a recurrence. Amongst the 5 with malignant disease, recurrence or persistent local tumour was seen in 4 cases; and of these, 3 with persistent local tumour after incomplete excision died.