Endodermal sinus (yolk sac) tumor of the parotid gland: a case report

Malignant salivary gland neoplasms in children are rare, most common being mucoepidermoid carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, acinic cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Most germ-cell neoplasms of head and neck in children are teratomas. The authors report a case of endodermal sinus tumor (EST) of the parotid gland in a 2-year-old girl, which recurred after chemotherapy. The role of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) serum level as a helpful marker in differential diagnosis and in evaluating tumor progression is underlined.