Osteoclast-type giant cell neoplasms of the parotid gland

The parotid gland is added to the list of parenchymal organs, notably the pancreas, in which osteoclast-like cells appear as constituent cells in their neoplasms. The cells' role in the neoplasms is a reactive one or, more rarely, as an integral element in an osteoclast-type giant cell neoplasm or so-called osteoclastoma. Distinctive in histological appearance, the osteoclast-type giant cell neoplasm is a malignant lesion that, to date, has been described only in the pancreas and parotid glands. This report presents examples of each type of giant cell lesion in the parotid gland.