[Bilateral tumors of the parotid glands. (author's transl)]

Bilateral parotid tumors occur very rarely; they account for 0.5% of 544 cases of parotid tumors recorded at the National Cancer Institute of Milan from 1945 to 1974. Three cases of bilateral tumors are described; two tumors were synchronous and one metachronous. The patients were women of 51, 46 and 52 years. The histologic type was the same on both sides in all cases, namely adenolymphoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma and mixed tumor respectively. Surgical exicston was the treatment of choice; according to the histology of the tumors partial (adenolymphoma) or total parotidectomy (mixed and malignant tumors) was performed. As to the case of mucoepidermoid cancer of both parotid glands no recurrence was observed after five years.