True malignant mixed tumor (carcinosarcoma) of parotid gland : a case report

The malignant mixed tumor (carcinosarcoma) of the salivary gland is an extremely rare tumor. By definition, it is composed of both malignant epithelial and malignant mesenchymal components. We report a case of carcinosarcoma in the parotid gland of a 59 year old man, that arose "de novo" and contained ductal adenocarcinoma as the epithelial component and osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma as mesenchymal components. The etiologic and histologic features are presented and in addition, the literature is reviewed.