The Vanishing Tumor: Parotid Oncocytoma

Here, we report a case of a 58-year-old male who presented with a history of right parotid swelling with pain for more than a year. Initially, the swelling was diagnosed as an abscess for which the patient was treated with antibiotics followed by incision and drainage at an outside facility; however, the patient presented with recurrence. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multiple hypointense lesions, suggesting the possibility of an oncocytic tumor. While fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was nondiagnostic for malignancy due to an inflammatory background, it had not ruled out malignancy. He underwent a right superficial parotidectomy, along with drainage of purulent material suggestive of an abscess. Histopathological examination showed multifocal oncocytic hyperplasia and adjacent abscess formation; the diagnosis of oncocytoma was made. This case exemplifies the difficulty of diagnosing parotid oncocytomas and highlights how histological analysis can make such a diagnosis possible.