Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the parotid gland: a rare entity

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the parotid gland is a rare aggressive malignancy. It is a rapidly advancing lesion which, if not recognised and treated early, results in high morbidity and mortality. Despite radical surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy, prognosis of this cancer continues to be poor. Careful clinical and histological examination is mandatory to differentiate this tumour from metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and other primary malignancies of the parotid. The authors hereby report the case of a 50-year-old male patient who presented with a progressively increasing, painless mass in parotid region of 6 months duration. An initial fine-needle aspiration cytology and subsequent histopathological examination confirmed that the tumour was squamous cell carcinoma. As no other primary source could be demonstrated in the patient, a final diagnosis of primary squamous cell carcinoma of parotid was offered. Currently the patient is on regular follow-up without any signs of recurrence.