Kaposi's sarcoma of an intraparotid lymph node leading to a diagnosis of HIV

Kaposi's sarcoma is a common malignancy in patients infected with HIV but is rarely seen in the major salivary glands. If a patient is known to be HIV-positive, however, Kaposi's sarcoma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of salivary gland masses in addition to the benign and malignant neoplasms that occur in immunocompetent patients. We present a unique case in which an otherwise healthy patient was diagnosed with HIV after resection of his enlarged parotid gland revealed Kaposi's sarcoma.

Case report.

A 58-year-old man presented with slowly enlarging bilateral parotid masses of approximately 3 years' duration. The patient's presentation, workup, and final diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma are discussed.

A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the neck showed two right parotid lesions and one left parotid mass. The patient underwent a right superficial parotidectomy for a suspected diagnosis of Warthin's tumor, given the bilaterality of the lesions. Histologic evaluation of the surgical specimen revealed spindle-shaped cells with extravasated erythrocytes typical of Kaposi's sarcoma. After discussion of the results with the patient, HIV risk factors were elucidated, and subsequent testing revealed the patient to be HIV-positive.

Although Kaposi's sarcoma is common in AIDS patients, there are few case reports of this malignancy arising in the salivary glands. Previously reported cases include salivary gland Kaposi's sarcoma in known HIV-positive patients and a handful of reports in patients without confirmed immunocompromise. The patient presented here is unique because the diagnosis of parotid gland Kaposi's sarcoma led to a new diagnosis of HIV. This interesting case reiterates the need for complete history taking and the inclusion of Kaposi's sarcoma in the differential diagnosis of salivary gland masses in the appropriate patient population.